The 2024 US presidential election is taking place in a complicated setting amid widespread political polarization and conflict, which has also been mirrored in the behavior of celebrities. On September 10, in response to a photo manipulated by artificial intelligence suggesting she supported Republican candidate Donald Trump, pop star Taylor Swift confirmed her support for Democratic candidate Kamala Harris. This prompted Trump to comment on his platform, "Truth Social," saying, "I hate Taylor Swift."
Elon Musk, for his part, responded to Trump's two assassination attempts via his "X" account, querying why President Joe Biden or candidate Harris had not been targeted. The White House deemed this statement "irresponsible" and "inciting violence" before Musk deleted the post on September 16. In this context, issues arise concerning the limitations of non-political celebrities' impact in the current US presidential election.
Celebrity Stances
In the context of widespread political polarization and division, both the Democratic and Republican camps strive to harness every tool to bolster their chances of victory in the upcoming November elections. One such tool is relying on celebrities to promote their campaigns and mobilize the American public. Historian Daniel J. Boorstin defined celebrities as "people who are known for their well-knownness," Australian sociologist Robert Van Krieken described celebrities as having "an attribute or status distinguished by the capacity to attract attention."
As a result of the growing influence of celebrities, the term "celebrity capital" has emerged. It means "the public awareness of celebrities, their knowledge, likeability, personality, and reputation" in a way that contributes to their increased perceived trust, credibility, and reliability. Celebrities have played a role in politics in general and in presidential elections in particular. This can be traced back to the 1920 election, when some film stars, such as Lillian Russell, endorsed the then-Republican candidate, Warren Harding. Thanks to their fan bases, ability to reach the media, and opportunities to connect with national and international institutions, celebrities have a significant ability to promote their views and positions.
The most prominent stances taken by celebrities in response to the 2024 US presidential race can be analyzed as follows:
1. Divergence between film and sports stars:
Over the years, prominent Hollywood stars such as Robert De Niro and Meryl Streep have played a significant role in US elections by publicly endorsing candidates. Most analyses suggest that film stars tend to lean more towards the Democratic Party, but in the current presidential race, a group of artists have moved towards supporting Trump. The call by actor George Clooney for President Biden to drop out of the current race is seen as an influential factor in his withdrawal. Despite a tweet by rapper Cardi B stating that she would not support Biden, she leaned towards supporting Harris. After declining to endorse a candidate in 2020, author and media personality Martha Stewart said she would support Harris.
A succession of endorsements from film stars came in favor of the Harris-Walz campaign, most notably pop stars Taylor Swift and Billie Eilish, singer Olivia Rodrigo, artist Barbra Streisand, and musician Jon Legend. Film Director Spike Lee, screenwriter Aaron Sorkin, and filmmaker Ken Burns also declared their support for Harris. In the same context, some comments suggested that British pop artist Charli XCX had strengthened Generation Z's support for Harris. While artist Beyoncé has not publicly announced her support for Harris, she granted her campaign permission to use her song "Freedom" in a video for her first official visit to the campaign headquarters. A group of artists, such as Nick Offerman, Jane Fonda, and Ben Stiller, participated in a virtual gathering called "Comics for Harris," which reportedly raised nearly half a million dollars for the campaign.
Conversely, musician Kid Rock was outspoken about his support for Trump. Rapper and television star Amber Rose gave a speech at the Republican National Convention, which was attended by music stars Chris Janson and Jason Aldean. Actress Roseanne Barr, a Trump supporter, considered the choice of Harris as Vice President to be "another reason why Harris is a disaster." At a rally in Las Vegas, Trump thanked reggaeton star Nicky Jam for his endorsement. For her part, Brazilian rapper Azealia Banks said last year that she would vote for Trump and appeared at a rally in Florida this summer, while actor Jon Voight has defended Trump on numerous occasions.
Film stars appear to favor Harris, whereas sports stars, most notably Dana White, CEO of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), prefer Trump. Although American football star Patrick Mahomes has not endorsed any candidate, Trump has thanked his wife, Brittany Mahomes, for defending him on social media. For his part, former professional wrestler Hulk Hogan declared his support for Trump during the Republican National Convention, describing him as "the greatest president of the United States." Likewise, Dave Portnoy, founder of Barstool Sports, considered voting for Trump to be "a no-brainer."
2. Clash Among Tech Titans:
Despite the apparent leftward lean of IT titans, the US publication "The Wall Street Journal" stated on August 31 that Silicon Valley faces an "unprecedented divide" in political opinions among tech world leaders amidst the polarization associated with the ongoing presidential race. A small but influential group of leaders, including Musk, have supported the Republican candidate and have become more open about switching parties; it wasn't just Musk's support for Trump but also his description of Democratic tech investor Vinod Khosla as "crazy."
Aaron Levie, CEO of Box and a supporter of the Democratic candidate, reacted to investor David Sacks' support for Trump, claiming that it was influenced by "cough syrup." Additionally, women working in the tech sector leaned towards supporting Harris; they formed groups such as "Tech4Kamala," "VCs for Kamala," and "Founders for Kamala" to mobilize support for the Democratic candidate.
The difference in political stances has damaged the friendship between Reid Hoffman and Peter Thiel, who previously worked together at PayPal; Hoffman became a strong supporter of the Democratic Party, donating millions of dollars to the Biden and then Harris campaigns, while Thiel declared his support for Trump. Additionally, political differences have disrupted the business relationships between Ben Horowitz, co-founder of Andreessen Horowitz, and Michael Moritz, former president of Sequoia Capital, as the former published an article describing the latter's shift from supporting the Democratic Party to the Republican Party as a "mystery."
For his part, Sean Maguire, a partner at Sequoia, posted on X that he had donated $300,000 to the Trump campaign despite supporting Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election. Nassim Taleb, the general partner at Emmeline Ventures, considered Andreessen Horowitz's support for Trump to be a "shock" to technology workers. As a result of the divisions caused by these support campaigns within the sector, voices have risen calling for an end to this polarization; foremost among them was Mark Pincus, co-founder of the video game company Zynga, who announced that he would not support any of the candidates despite his history of working on democratic causes.
The Limits of Influence
Despite some polls revealing a modest impact of celebrity endorsements on candidates in US elections, analyses reveal something much deeper. A Pew Research Center poll conducted last May found that a limited percentage of Americans, reaching 4%, get most of their information about politics and elections from celebrities and influencers on social media. On the other hand, a study conducted by Harvard University's Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation last August concluded that celebrities play a significant role in promoting civic engagement, explaining that there is a gap between what people say in polls about not being influenced by celebrity voices in politics and what the evidence reveals about the existence of significant effects.
Commenting on the impact of celebrity endorsements on candidates' chances, Josephine Harmon, assistant professor of political science at Northeastern University London, says that celebrity endorsements can "add a little bit of golden dust to a politician's status." Megan Duncan, a professor of communication at Virginia Tech, also believes that celebrities can generate enthusiasm for a particular candidate and motivate participation, considering that an emotional connection with celebrities can help transfer "these feelings to political campaigns." This is a similar comment to that of Anthony G. Nownes, a professor of political science at the University of Tennessee, who considered that celebrity stances affect "feelings of enthusiasm, anger, and anxiety" towards candidates. The following is an analysis of the most important factors of influence that celebrities have in US presidential elections:
1. The Power of Directing:
Celebrities have a high degree of influence on the American public. This power, which some analyses, including a joint study by Alfred Archer and others published in March 2020, described as "epistemic power," allows celebrities to influence "what people think, believe, and know." This "epistemic power" is based on a number of things, including perceived credibility, as well as interest based on the fact that celebrities and their news are a factor that attracts public attention. This led former US Senator Arlen Specter to say, "When Hollywood speaks, the world listens." An analytical study presented by Andrew Hayes and Paul Brewer in June 2008 revealed that exposure to news related to Oprah Winfrey's endorsement of then-Democratic candidate Barack Obama during the primary elections had contributed to an increase in the belief that he was more likely to win the Democratic nomination in those elections. Winfrey's endorsement was also shown to have increased overall voter turnout and votes for Obama by an estimated one million. In the ongoing presidential race, there are indications of concern among the Trump campaign due to Swift's endorsement of Harris because of her influence on young people.
2. Financial Support:
The influence of celebrity endorsements extends beyond boosting a candidate's popularity and encouraging voter turnout. It also involves financial support, either through direct contributions or participation in fundraising events. A prime example of this was the $28 million raised for Biden's campaign at a Los Angeles event hosted by George Clooney and Julia Roberts last June, a record-breaking sum. Additionally, Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour and fashion designer Tory Burch hosted a fundraiser for the Democratic Party in New York during Labor Day weekend. Bloomberg reported on September 5 that actors Matt Damon and Lin-Manuel Miranda were attending a Harris fundraiser in New York later that month.
Furthermore, tech moguls have emerged as significant financial backers for both presidential candidates. According to the Wall Street Journal, tech leaders have contributed approximately $204 million to Harris's campaign, while Trump's campaign has received around $47.5 million. LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman hosted a fundraiser for Harris in San Francisco that raised over $13 million, as reported by the publication on August 31. Public records reveal that some tech leaders have also donated to a new pro-Trump political action committee called America PAC, which includes prominent figures with ties to SpaceX and PayPal. This trend is expected to expand, given Trump's support for cryptocurrencies.
3. Utilizing Social Media:
The proliferation of social media networks has empowered celebrities to reach vast audiences without navigating through "gatekeepers" in traditional media. Consequently, with their large followings, celebrities can enhance the appeal of competing politicians in the electoral campaign process. This has led to the perception of the number of followers as a measure of celebrity power because media exposure is like "oxygen" for celebrities. The most significant impact lies in the younger audience, who exhibit less interest in following politics, which makes them more susceptible to the influence of celebrities' political stances.
Perhaps this is confirmed by the study conducted by the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation last August, indicating that "celebrities have a unique ability to connect with younger generations" and that "their control over social media and their presence place them as a central source of information." This can be inferred from Swift's impact, as her post on Instagram following the first debate, in which she expressed her support for the Democratic candidate, garnered over a million likes in less than 15 minutes. Meanwhile, the link to register to vote included in her post was visited by more than 300,000 people after its immediate publication until September 11 of this year, according to the Public Services Administration overseeing the website, as reported to NBC News America.
While the significant and evident influence of celebrities on US politics, particularly in the current presidential race, is undeniable, it remains challenging to precisely define the boundaries between the role played by celebrities and other influential factors within the electoral landscape. Consequently, given the polarization of celebrities between the two leading candidates, it becomes difficult to determine the impact of celebrities in tipping the scales in favor of one candidate over the other in the upcoming election.
Furthermore, the complexity of ascertaining the extent of this influence is tied to the necessity of awaiting the final results from the ballot boxes, which are challenging to comprehend and analyze based solely on the role of celebrities. Additionally, the issue of manipulation, which may be achieved through artificial intelligence, remains another problem that could exacerbate the intensity and scope of disagreements and disputes rather than providing support to a specific candidate. Finally, given the fierceness of the ongoing presidential race and the widening scope of polarization and political division, it is evident that the role played by celebrities contributes to further inflaming the situation.
