‘Illegal campaign contribution’: Jealous Trump’s frenzied attack on A-listers shows how deeply their rejection has wounded him

President Donald Trump used his Truth Social platform to attack several well-known celebrities, calling for a “major investigation” into their supposed involvement in what he claims was an illegal effort to support Vice President Kamala Harris’s 2024 presidential campaign. These accusations, which he made without providing any proof, focused on Bruce Springsteen, Beyoncé, Oprah Winfrey, and Bono.

Trump’s first post, shared early in the morning, questioned how much money Harris’s campaign supposedly paid Springsteen for appearing at campaign events. He suggested these payments were illegal campaign donations, implying a secret deal between the campaign and the musician. Later posts repeated and expanded on these claims, specifically accusing Beyoncé of receiving $11 million for a short endorsement that Trump claimed the audience did not like.

The HuffPost reported that the posts also accused Oprah Winfrey and Bono of getting hidden payments for similar endorsements, again without offering any proof. These accusations came just before an important meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, which would make many question Trump’s priorities.

Trump thinks celebrities were paid to endorse Harris

Trump’s claims are based on the idea that Harris’s campaign broke campaign finance laws by paying celebrities for endorsements. However, as of now, there is no public evidence to support these claims. No reliable news sources or investigations have confirmed Trump’s statements. Additionally, it is perfectly legal for celebrities to publicly support political candidates, and such endorsements are a normal part of modern political campaigns.

To sum up his rant, he wrote, “HOW MUCH DID KAMALA HARRIS PAY BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN FOR HIS POOR PERFORMANCE DURING HER CAMPAIGN FOR PRESIDENT… WHY DID HE ACCEPT THAT MONEY IF HE IS SUCH A FAN OF HERS? ISN’T THAT A MAJOR AND ILLEGAL CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTION? WHAT ABOUT BEYONCÉ? … AND HOW MUCH WENT TO OPRAH, AND BONO???”

Trump’s repeated use of the word “illegal” to describe these endorsements seems to be an exaggeration meant to anger his supporters and damage his political opponents’ reputations. The importance of Trump’s demand for a “major investigation” goes beyond these accusations. His history of using government power to target political opponents raises serious concerns about whether federal investigative resources could be misused for political reasons.

Now, we do know that some concerts were dedicated to the campaign, but that doesn’t mean they were paid for their political opinion. Harris has called out DC law firms who give into politics, so it’s hard to think she’d pull something like that.

The possibility that the Justice Department, influenced by the White House’s political goals, might launch an investigation based only on Trump’s unsupported claims adds to worries about whether government institutions can remain fair and independent.

The possible effects of these actions could be serious. If the Justice Department were to start an investigation based only on Trump’s claims, it could create a dangerous situation where free speech is limited and government power is used against political rivals. Such actions could weaken democracy and harm public confidence in government agencies.

This incident also points to a troubling trend of false or misleading information spreading in politics. Trump’s unsupported claims, shared on his social media accounts, could easily influence public opinion despite lacking facts. The risk that such false stories could weaken trust in democracy is a real problem.