WASHINGTON ―President Donald Trumpsaid he plans to call for a "major investigation" into the celebrity endorsements thatKamala Harrisreceived during the 2024 campaign, alleging without evidence that Bruce Springsteen, Oprah Winfrey, U2's Bono andBeyoncéwere paid to publicly support the Democratic nominee. Representatives of several of the entertainers targeted by Trump − all of whom have previously endorsed Democratic candidates for president − have rejected rumors they were paid for their endorsements of Harris. Trump,in a 1:34 a.m. EDT May 19 poston Truth social, accused Harris ofpaying for their endorsements"under the guise of paying for entertainment" in a "desperate effort to artificially build up her sparse crowds." "IT'S NOT LEGAL! For these unpatriotic 'entertainers,' this was just a CORRUPT & UNLAWFUL way to capitalize on a broken system," Trump said. More:It wasn't only Oprah. Kamala Harris campaign paid Beyonce's production company too Trump did not elaborate on the investigation he has in mind or what entity he wants to lead it. The Federal Election Commission does not have rules explicitly prohibiting candidates from paying for endorsements. Trump followed up on his overnight social media postwith a subsequent post at 9:11 am EDTsingling out Beyoncé with an unfounded claim involving a rallyshe hosted in October 2024for Harris in Houston. Trump wrote that "according to news report" Beyoncé was paid $11 million "to walk onto a stage, quickly ENDORSE KAMALA, and walk off to loud booing for never having performed, NOT EVEN ONE SONG!" It is unclear where Trump got the unsubstantiated $11 million figure.The Harris campaign last year rejectedan unfounded rumor that it paid Beyoncé $10 million for her endorsement that began on social media shortly after the music star's October 2024 appearance with Harris. More:'I'm here as a mother': Beyoncé' rallies for Kamala Harris in final stretch of campaign "BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, OPRAH, BONO AND, PERHAPS, MANY OTHERS, HAVE A LOT OF EXPLAINING TO DO!!!" Trump said in his post. A representative of Harris did not immediately response to a request for comment. Beyoncé, Springsteen and Winfrey each endorsed Barack Obama, Joe Biden and formerSecretary of State Hillary Clintonin previous elections, including the 2016 and 2020 races in which Trump was the Republican nominee. Bono has a long history of backing liberal causes. Beyoncé granted Harris permissionto use her song "Freedom" as the anthem of her 2024 campaign. Winfrey, a registered independent voter who previouslyendorsed Clintonand Obama, delivered a forceful case for Harris during arare dive into national politics atthe Democratic National Convention in Chicago. The Harris campaign paid $165,000 to Beyoncé's production company, Parkwood Production Media LLC, according to finance records reported to the Federal Election Commission. The payment came about a month after the two appeared together at the Houston rally. Beyoncé did not perform at the rally but instead spoke about her support for Harris alongside her Destiny's Child group mate, Kelly Rowland. Tina Knowles, the mother of Beyoncé,pushed back at the $10 million rumor at the time, calling it "false information" and a "lie" in a post on Instagram. "In fact she actually paid for her own flights for her and her team," Knowles said. The Harris campaign, which spent lavishly after raising more than $1 billion over just 107 days, also paid $1 million to Harpo Productions, the company Winfrey owns,after the television star hosted a town hallevent for Harris that featured appearance from other celebrities such as comedian Chris Rock, actresses Julia Roberts and Meryl Streep, actor Ben Stiller, and singer Jennifer Lopez. More:Bruce Springsteen doubles down after Trump calls him 'dried out prune' The payments to Winfrey'sproduction companycame in two $500,000 sums on Oct. 15, 2024. Winfrey said the money went to employees who put on the event, notto herpersonally. "I did not take any personal fee," Winfreysaid in a videoposted on Instagram. "However, the people who worked on that production needed to be paid. And were. End of story." Trump's focus on Springsteen comes after Trump lashed out at the rock icon con after he condemned the president's "corrupt, incompetent and treasonous administration"during the first show of his British tour last week. "Never liked him, never liked his music, or his Radical Left Politics and, importantly, he's not a talented guy,' Trump saidin a May 16 post on Truth Social. "Just a pushy, obnoxious JERK, who fervently supported Crooked Joe Biden." Reach Joey Garrison on X @joeygarrison. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Trump wants 'investigation' into celebrity endorsements of Harris
