Were Beyoncé, Bruce Springsteen paid millions to endorse Kamala Harris? Trump wants an investigation

After throwing shade at Taylor Swift for being "no longer hot" and calling Bruce Springsteen "highly overrated," Donald Trump has now set his sights on a new musician: Beyoncé.

On Monday, the US President continued his rant against popular musicians like Beyonce, Bruce Springsteen, and Bono (known to some as the lead vocalist for U2) on social media platform Truth Social. He accused them of participating in an “illegal election scam” run by Democrat Kamala Harris of using celebrities during her 2024 presidential campaign.

Trump is now calling for a “major investigation” into their alleged “corrupt” endorsements of the former Vice President.

Here's what unfolded.

'An election scam at the highest level'

In a fiery post on Truth Social, Donald Trump claimed that Beyoncé made an illegal contribution to Kamala Harris’ election campaign, calling it “an illegal election scam at the highest level.”

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“According to news reports, Beyoncé was paid $11,000,000 to walk onto a stage, quickly endorse Kamala, and walk off to loud booing for never having performed, not even one song! Remember, the Democrats and Kamala illegally paid her millions of Dollars for doing nothing other than giving Kamala a full-throated endorsement,” the President wrote.

Former Vice President Kamala Harris and singer Beyoncé. Reuters

Trump didn’t stop there. He alleged that “Bruce Springsteen, Oprah, Bono and, perhaps, many others, have a lot of explaining to do”.

“I am going to call for a major investigation into this matter. Candidates aren’t allowed to pay for Endorsements, which is what Kamala did, under the guise of paying for entertainment,” he said. “In addition, this was a very expensive and desperate effort to artificially build up her sparse crowds.”

“It’s not legal!” Trump added. “For these unpatriotic ‘entertainers,’ this was just a corrupt & unlawful way to capitalise on a broken system.”

However, it’s worth noting that when the $11 million claim first surfaced online last year, fact-checkers found no evidence to back it up, according to Billboard.

Harris's team, meanwhile, had denied claims that she had paid pop megastar $10 million to appear at a rally.

The Harris campaign listed one endorsement-related expenditure of $75 in its financial reports to an environmental advocacy group.

Trump targets Springsteen

While the feud between veteran rock star Bruce Springsteen and Donald Trump isn't new. The tensions have recently taken another nasty turn.

On Friday, Trump took aim at the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, calling him “highly overrated.”

“Never liked him, never liked his music, or his Radical Left Politics and, importantly, he’s not a talented guy,” Trump said of Springsteen. He also issued a warning to the star musician, currently touring Europe, saying he should “KEEP HIS MOUTH SHUT until he gets back into the country.”

Trump took aim at the veteran rock star Bruce Springsteen, calling him “highly overrated.” File image/ Reuters

Springsteen, a longtime critic of Trump, didn’t hold back during his recent concert in the UK.

“The United States is currently in the hands of a corrupt, incompetent and treasonous administration,” he told the crowd. “They’re persecuting people for using their right to free speech and voicing their dissent… The richest men are taking satisfaction in abandoning the world’s poorest children to sickness and death… They’re removing residents off American streets and, without due process of law, are deporting them to foreign detention centers and prisons.”

Trump vs Taylor Swift

Before the Springsteen clash, Trump reignited his public feud with pop icon Taylor Swift.

In a Truth Social post on Friday, he claimed the singer is “no longer hot” ever since he voiced his dislike for her. “Has anyone noticed that, since I said ‘I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT,’ she’s no longer ‘HOT?’” Trump posted.

Taylor Swift. AP file

The dig adds to a growing history of tensions between the two, especially after Swift publicly endorsed Kamala Harris and Tim Walz for the 2024 presidential election.

“I will be casting my vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the 2024 Presidential Election,” Swift had posted on Instagram, shortly after the first and only debate between Trump and Harris.

Following her endorsement, Trump told Fox & Friends: “I’m not a Taylor Swift fan… She seems to always endorse a Democrat, and she’ll probably pay a price for it in the marketplace.”

He didn’t stop there. During the 2025 Super Bowl, where Swift was seen supporting her partner, Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce, some fans booed when she appeared on the jumbotron.

“The only one that had a tougher night than the Kansas City Chiefs was Taylor Swift. She got BOOED out of the Stadium. MAGA is very unforgiving!” Trump posted on Truth Social.

With input from agencies