IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Celebrities split between Kamala Harris vs Donald Trump/INQUIRER.net
Given the platforms celebrities have, they have the power to encourage and influence their audience to think the same way they do. For the 2024 United States presidential elections, these popular figures express support to candidates in the hope that their supporters will be encouraged to believe the same way.
A-lister endorsements for Kamala Harris and Donald Trump reflect significant contrasts in political values and public influence.
Celebrities backing Harris, such as pop star Taylor Swift and three-time Oscar winner Meryl Streep, emphasize importance to issues of social justice and reproductive rights, appealing to progressive and younger voters.
The incumbent Vice President’s campaign also appeal to the audience in need of historical progress; considering if Harris won, she would make history as the first female president and the first woman of Black and South Asian descent to hold the highest office in the U.S.
Meanwhile, Trump’s supporters, including actor Mel Gibson and socialite Kim Kardashian, often champion economic and national security priorities, which resonates with conservative audiences.
However, the former president has been a center of controversies over the years, given his previous actions; for instance, in 2021, Trump incited a large gathering of supporters in Washington to attack the US Capitol while the electoral votes were being counted.
These endorsements highlight a cultural and ideological divide, affirming how celebrities contribute to shaping public opinion and political discourse as well as mobilizing and inspiring voter engagement.
Ahead of Election Day on Nov. 5, here are the celebrities who voiced their support for Harris and Trump.
Team Harris
Taylor Swift
The global pop star was one of the first A-listers to voice out her support for Harris. On Instagram, Swift penned her endorsement and noted that it was partially prompted by Trump, who posted AI-generated pictures suggesting that the singer had endorsed him.
Trump’s posts “brought me to the conclusion that I need to be very transparent about my actual plans for this election as a voter,” Swift wrote last September. She added that she’s voting for Harris because “she’s done her research,” and the latter fights for LGBTQ+ rights and women’s rights, among others.
Beyoncé
The former “Destiny’s Child” star appeared onstage during the presidential rally of Harris in Texas on Oct. 26, declaring that she was not there “as a celebrity or politician but a mother.”
“A mother who cares deeply about the world my children and all of our children live in—a world where we have the freedom to control our bodies, a world where we’re not divided. Imagine our daughters growing up seeing what’s possible with no ceilings, no limitations. We must vote, and we need you,” she told the crowd.
Olivia Rodrigo
The 21-year-old Filipino-American singer has already cast her vote for Harris during the early voting that has started in some states. In a statement on Nov. 3, she said, “A vote for Donald Trump is a vote for a national abortion ban and a vote for Kamala Harris is a vote for reproductive freedom. Please use your voice and vote!”
Rodrigo first endorsed Harris in July after she posted a video of Harris’ speech on “pledging to reinstate reproductive rights” as part of her platform.
Alicia Keys
Keys delivered a powerful speech in support of Harris during a rally in Pennsylvania on Sunday, Nov 3.
“If you don’t vote for her, or you don’t vote at all, you’re voting for the chaos and the hate,” the singer declared. “You’re voting for a cruel tomorrow for immigrants, people of color, women, girls, our children, and our planet.”
Jennifer Lopez
The actress-singer spoke out during a rally for Harris in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Sunday, Nov. 3, emphasizing that Trump’s campaign had offended “every Latino in the United States.”
“We should be emotional. We should be upset. We should be scared and outraged. We should. Our pain matters. We matter. Your voice and your vote matter,” Lopez affirmed.
Meryl Streep
On Sept. 19, Streep joined Harris and host Oprah Winfrey at the “Unite for America” livestream, where the award-winning actress “accidentally” referred to Harris as the president.
“This has been overwhelming to have the privilege to sit in and listen to the testimony of people here,” Streep began. “Hello, President Harris—oop! From my mouth to God’s ear.”
Jennifer Aniston
In an Instagram post, the “FRIENDS” star shared that she has voted for Harris and running mate Tim Walz for “sanity and human decency.”
“Today not only did I vote for access to health care, for reproductive freedom, for equal rights, for safe schools, and for a fair economy, but also for SANITY and HUMAN DECENCY,” she began her post.
“Let’s please end this era of fear, chaos, and the attacks on our democracy—and vote for someone who will unite us and not continue to threaten to divide us. I very proudly voted for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz,” added the actress.
Julia Roberts
The “Pretty Woman” star was recently featured as the narrator in one of Harris-Walz campaign videos where she reminded women that “their vote is their choice, regardless of how their husbands or anyone else may be voting.”
After Roberts’ endorsement, Trump expressed his dismay in an interview, saying, “I’m so disappointed at Julia Roberts. She’s going to look back on that and she’s going to cringe. ‘Did I really say that?’”
Harrison Ford
In a rare endorsement video, the veteran actor urged voters to choose Harris three days before the presidential election.
“I’m Harrison Ford, doing something I never thought I’d do. Telling people I’ve never met who I’m voting for and why I think they might do the same. This election, I’m casting my ballot for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz. Do I agree with every one of their policies? Of course not. Do I think they’re perfect? C’mon, for crying out loud, they’re people just like you and me,” said the 82-year-old actor.
Leonardo DiCaprio
The “Titanic” star has cast his vote and endorsed Harris for president, citing his concerns about climate change.
“Climate change is killing the earth and ruining our economy. We need a bold step forward to save our economy, our planet, and ourselves. That’s why I’m voting for Kamala Harris,” he said in an Instagram video. “We cannot afford to go backward.”
Madonna
The Queen of Pop took to Instagram on Thursday, Oct. 31 to share her endorsement as she flew back home from Paris to vote.
“Paris was so FUN! It was hard to leave, but I had to come home to V.O.T.E.” she captioned her post, tagging Harris “for president.”
Arnold Schwarzenegger
The actor and former governor of California made his endorsement for Harris in a lengthy post on X (formerly Twitter), saying that before he was a Republican, he would always be an American first, which is why he’s doing the right thing to “move forward.”
“I want to move forward as a country, and even though I have plenty of disagreements with their platform, I think the only way to do that is with Harris and Walz. Vote this week. Turn the page and put this junk behind us,” he wrote in part of his post.
“Avengers” cast Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Danai Gurira, Don Cheadle, Paul Bettany, and Mark Ruffalo.
The Marvel stars endorsed Harris in a recent video where they were on a video call, brainstorming about their catchphrase for the presidential aspirant, referencing their famous lines from the Marvel movies, such as “I can do this all day” and “Kamala Forever.”
Team Trump
Meanwhile, here are the celebrities who are rallying behind Trump.
Mel Gibson
In a report by Variety and TMZ, Gibson asserted that Harris “got the IQ of a fencepost,” adding that voting for Trump is a “pretty good guess.”
“I don’t think it’s going to surprise anyone who I’ll vote for,” he told the press. “I know what it’ll be like if we let her in and that’s not good. Miserable track record—appalling track record. No policies to speak of. And she’s got the IQ of a fencepost.”
Dennis Quaid
Rising into fame for films “The Parent Trap” and “The Day After Tomorrow,” Quaid gave a speech at a Trump rally in Coachella, California, in October, citing “law and order” as the reasons he’s picking that ex president to be the next chief of the United States again.
“It’s time to pick a side,” he told the crowd. “Are we going to be a nation that stands for the constitution? Or for Tik-Tok? “Are we going to be a nation of law and order? Or wide open borders?”
Jim Caviezel
In an interview with Fox News last year, “The Passion of the Christ” star called Trump “the new Moses.”
Kim Kardashian
Despite not yet openly endorsing Trump, Kardashian recently drew flak after she posted a selfie with Trump’s daughter, Ivanka Trump, on social media, wishing her a happy birthday.
The socialite and Ivanka are known to be friends since 2019.
Kanye West
The rapper was asked in February if he would be supporting Trump in 2024, to which he responded, “Yeah, of course, it’s Trump all day.”
Zachary Levi
The DC actor endorsed Trump at a rally in Michigan last Sept., saying that he wants a politician that “represents all of the things that he wants.”
“We’re here to make sure that we are going to take back this country. We are going to make it great again. We are going to make it healthy again,” he declared at the time.
Jon Voight
Voight, Angelina Jolie’s father, has openly supported Trump through the years. In a video shared on social media, he told his followers, “We’re now in a time of the darkest plague ever. And our chance, our only chance, is this November.”
The veteran actor accused his Hollywood peers supporting Harris of “putting out videos trying to brainwash the American people to do the most dangerous vote ever.”