CNN's Daniel Dale analyzed President Donald Trump'sclaimsregarding music icon Beyoncé and other celebrities who supported the Kamala Harris campaign on Monday — and rejected their involvement as trivial.
The president alleged that Beyoncé violated the law by reportedly receiving $11 million to promote the vice president against him in the November election, but Dale foundno basisto his assertions demanding her legal action.
The president shared a message on social media late at night in Scotland on Sunday morning, during his visit, and he stated, 'I'm looking at the significant amount of money that the Democrats owe following the presidential election and the fact that they admit to paying, likely illegally, $11 million to singer Beyoncé for an endorsement,' Dale said, 'and he continued in the post, 'Kamala and everyone who received endorsement money violated the law, they should all be'prosecutedSo he's demanding that Beyoncé be prosecuted for earning $11 million to endorse Harris.
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The issue is, she didn't receive $11 million to promote Harris," Dale said. "There's absolutely no proof of this alleged $11 million payment. These claims have been spreading among, you know, obscure, random, lower-level Trump supporters on social media since the fall. No one has provided any evidence, and the White House didn't respond to my request for comment when I contacted them over the weekend.
Now, federal election spending records do reveal a $165,000 payment from the Harris campaign to Beyoncé's production company following the October 2024 event in which Beyoncé appeared with then-Vice President Harris. However, there are two points to consider: Firstly, there is no evidence that this was a quid pro quo payment for anendorsementThe Harris campaign stated at the time that they are legally required to cover the additional expenses associated with celebrity appearances at their event, and secondly, $165,000 is not $11 million, the amount the president continues to cite.
The origin of the president's unconfirmed statement is still unknown, Dale stated.
I contacted the Harris team regarding this," Dale stated. "They didn't respond, but they directed me to a November 2024 post from Beyoncé's mother, someone I never expected to be one of my fact-checking sources. However, she mentioned on social media at that time that this claim was false, stating that Beyoncé did not receive this money. I then reached out to the White House. They remained silent, but I looked into what the president had previously said about this matter. He attributed the claim in February to someone showing it to him, so the president himself hasn't clarified where he obtained the information either.
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