Overview

• President Trump posted on Truth Social on July 26 demanding prosecutions of Kamala Harris and celebrities over alleged illegal endorsement payments.
• He alleged Harris’s campaign paid $11 million to Beyoncé, $3 million to Oprah Winfrey and $600,000 to Al Sharpton for endorsements.
• Both Oprah Winfrey and Beyoncé have denied taking personal endorsement fees, stating payments were allocated to their production companies for event costs.
• Journalists such as Yashar Ali and analysts including Phillip Bump publicly refuted the claims on social media, citing a lack of evidence of illicit payments.
• Federal Election Commission rules allow campaigns to cover service costs but prohibit direct endorsement payments; no formal investigation has been initiated.