Last week, an exciting event hosted by Oprah Winfrey brought together some of Hollywood’s biggest stars, including Chris Rock, Ben Stiller, Julia Roberts, and Meryl Streep. The purpose? To give Vice President Kamala Harris a boost as she faces off against Donald Trump in the upcoming election. The event was seen as a strategic move to help Harris gain support in key swing states, where polls show she’s in a tight race with Trump.
Donald Trump wasn’t silent about this. He took to Truth Social, his favorite platform, to claim, “This isn’t the real Oprah,” stirring up even more drama. Meanwhile, on X (formerly known as Twitter), users criticized Winfrey for showing support for Harris, causing quite a stir online.
So why do politicians rely on celebrities to boost their campaigns? It turns out, it happens more often than we realize. Hollywood stars and pop culture icons are frequently enlisted by political parties to help them reach wider audiences. This year, the Democrats are doing just that — using the star power of A-listers to energize Kamala Harris’s campaign, hoping it will give her an edge over Trump.
According to a study by Harvard’s Ash Center for Democratic Governance, celebrities can indeed influence voter behavior. Their endorsements can sway people’s opinions and sometimes even motivate them to vote. In fact, another study from Siena College shows that Trump is currently ahead of Harris in Arizona and in close contests with her in states like Georgia and North Carolina — all critical battlegrounds for the upcoming election.
One of the most influential endorsements came from pop sensation Taylor Swift, who threw her support behind Harris. After a debate between Harris and Trump, Swift took to Instagram, where she has a whopping 283 million followers, and declared, “I am voting for Kamala Harris.” The timing was perfect, aiming to rally voters right after the debate. Other stars like Billie Eilish, Jennifer Lopez, and Beyoncé have also shown their support for Harris, hoping to attract more young and undecided voters.
On the other hand, Trump is not short of star power either. In the past couple of months, he’s been endorsed by big names like Hulk Hogan, Kid Rock, Billy Ray Cyrus (Miley Cyrus’s dad), and Joe Germanotta (Lady Gaga’s father). Trump also has the backing of influential social media stars, like Elon Musk, owner of X, with 199 million followers, and The Nelk Boys, a popular YouTube group with 200 million fans. These endorsements from both celebrities and influencers are helping Trump spread his message to a broad audience.
But does celebrity endorsement really win elections? While studies show that famous faces can get more people involved in elections, it doesn’t always guarantee victory. Back in 2016, Hillary Clinton had overwhelming celebrity support, with more stars endorsing her than Donald Trump. Yet, Clinton still lost the election. Similarly, while Kamala Harris has been getting support from big names, it hasn’t drastically improved her poll numbers so far.
Two recent surveys, one by YouGov and another by Marist, show that Trump is still ahead with independent voters. Despite the celebrity backing, Harris is struggling to win over those undecided voters who could decide the outcome of this election.
So, as both Harris and Trump continue to rally their celebrity supporters, the real question is: Will star power be enough to swing the election in Harris’s favor, or will Trump’s loyal base and influencer support keep him in the lead? Only time will tell.
