Donald Trump has recently expressed his discontent with both Beyonce and Oprah Winfrey, claiming they broke the law.
Trump’s remarks targeted the singer and TV host, as well as anchor Al Sharpton, alleging that Democrats spent money on them improperly.
On his Truth Social platform, Trump demanded prosecution of the trio for their supposed ‘endorsement’ of Kamala Harris during events last year, including rallies held in Texas and Pennsylvania.
He alleged that Beyonce was paid $11 million for an ‘endorsement’ at the event, despite not singing even a single note. Trump also claimed that Winfrey received $3 million for ‘expenses’ and Sharpton $600,000 for ‘doing absolutely nothing’.
Trump raged: “I’m looking at the large amount of money owed by the Democrats, after the Presidential Election, and the fact that they admit to paying, probably illegally, Eleven Million Dollars to singer Beyoncé for an ENDORSEMENT (she never sang, not one note, and left the stage to a booing and angry audience!), Three Million Dollars for ‘expenses’, to Oprah, Six Hundred Thousand Dollars to very low rated TV ‘anchor’, Al Sharpton (a total lightweight!), and others to be named for doing, absolutely NOTHING!”
He went on to say: “These ridiculous fees were incorrectly stated in the books and records. YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO PAY FOR AN ENDORSEMENT. IT IS TOTALLY ILLEGAL TO DO SO.”
“Can you imagine what would happen if politicians started paying for people to endorse them? All hell would break out! Kamala, and all of those that received Endorsement money, BROKE THE LAW. They should all be prosecuted! Thank you for your attention to this matter,” he concluded.
According to a CNN fact check, there is ‘simply no basis’ for Trump’s claim that Beyonce received the $11 million in connection with the Harris campaign, ‘let alone for the endorsement in particular’.
The media outlet points out that federal campaign spending records show $165,000 was paid from the Harris campaign to Beyonce’s production company for an expense listed under ‘campaign event production’.
A spokesperson told Deadline last year that the Democrats did not pay for celebrity endorsements, but the law requires them to cover costs associated with their appearances.
Trump’s statements reference a claim from the previous year where ‘somebody’ allegedly showed him that Beyonce was paid $11 million.
Beyonce’s mother, Tina Knowles, responded to the claim, labeling it ‘fake news’ in an Instagram post in November.
She wrote: “The lie is that Beyonce was paid 10 million dollars to speak at a rally in Houston for Vice President Kamala Harris. When In Fact: Beyonce did not receive a penny for speaking at a Presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris’s Rally in Houston.
“In fact she actually paid for her own flights for her and her team, and total Glam. They are not only lying and disrespecting Beyonce’s name but they are trying to further discredit the power of our vice president! When does the lies and rumors stop? Of course you won’t see this in the news !!!!!”
Other outlets, such as Factcheck.org and PolitiFact, have also investigated the allegation and could not find any support for the claim.
UNILAD has reached out to the White House for comment.