Donald Trump recently launched into a tirade, appearing to accuse two major figures in entertainment of legal violations.
The former president seems displeased with both Beyonce and Oprah Winfrey, as well as TV anchor Al Sharpton, taking aim at them for money he claims was allegedly paid to them by Democrats.
On his Truth Social platform, Trump suggested that these individuals should face legal action for their purported ‘endorsement’ of then-Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris at events last year in Texas and Pennsylvania.
Trump alleges that the 43-year-old singer was paid $11 million for an ‘endorsement’ without performing a single song, while Winfrey supposedly received $3 million for ‘expenses’ and Sharpton $600,000 for ‘doing absolutely nothing’.
The former president ranted: “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 continued: “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.
However, a fact check conducted by CNN found ‘simply no basis’ for Trump’s claim that Beyonce was paid the alleged amount in connection with the Harris campaign, ‘let alone for the endorsement in particular’.
According to CNN, federal campaign spending records show that $165,000 was disbursed by the Harris campaign to Beyonce’s production company, categorized as an expense for ‘campaign event production’.
A spokesperson informed Deadline last year that Democrats did not pay for celebrity endorsements, although the law requires them to cover the costs related to such appearances.
Trump’s statements come after he vaguely mentioned last year that ‘somebody’ informed him of the $11 million payment to the singer.
Beyonce’s mother, Tina Knowles, addressed the claim as ‘fake news’ in an Instagram post in November.
She stated: “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 like Factcheck.org and PolitiFact have also investigated the allegation and reportedly found no basis for the claim.
UNILAD has reached out to the White House for comment.