Are Taylor Swift and Elon Musk Running for President or Kamala Harris and Donald Trump?

The Breakdown on How Celebrity Endorsements Have Affected the 2024 Presidential Election

The nation is in the midst of watching the highest stakes popularity contest play out. In the wake of the 2024 United States presidential election, there has been a drastic increase in celebrity endorsements across both parties as the presidential candidates vie for the votes of the undecided. Political endorsements are thought to spark electoral interest, sway voter opinion, and raise money. Kamala Harris and Donald Trump have already outlined their presidential agendas and “concepts of a plan” for the next four years, yet the election remains extremely close, with the outcome hinging on just a few key battleground states. In the tight race, each individual vote matters. Both candidates, therefore, have resorted to highly publicized celebrity support, hoping that celebrity endorsements will give them a slight advantage.

Celebrities like Taylor Swift, Lebron James, Beyoncé, and Oprah Winfrey have all formally endorsed Kamala Harris, stimulating a wave of excitement for her campaign. Similarly, Bruce Springsteen, Mumford and Sons, and Gracie Abrams have performed live at her rallies, igniting enthusiasm in between speeches. Recently, actress Julia Roberts voiced an ad, addressing the election’s impact on female votes and educating the public on the importance of voter turn-out. As popular celebrities continue to publicly support Harris, other influential citizens are following suit. On October 24th, 82 American Nobel Prize winners came out with their support for Harris, completely denouncing former President Trump’s candidacy, and stating that if elected he would “undermine future U.S. leadership… as well as jeopardize any advancements in [the] standard of living.” Even Saturday Night Live seemed to endorse Harris this past weekend with her cameo on the show. As the Harris campaign comes to a close, Harris’ team hopes that the widespread popularity of her most famous celebrity endorsements will translate into Democratic votes. 

Kamala Harris isn’t the only candidate to receive celebrity endorsements, as Donald Trump has also acquired support from some influential names. For instance, Hulk Hogan, Kanye West, Mel Gibson, and Dr. Phil are among Trump’s biggest followers, with many of them speaking at his rallies. However, the biggest and arguably most loyal celebrity endorsement came from the owner of X, Tesla, and SpaceX—Elon Musk. Musk has donated over $75 million to America Pac this year, his own political action committee which supports Donald Trump's presidential campaign, as well as pledged to give away $1 million a day to voters in battleground states who sign his political petition. Musk has also created a safe haven for extreme right-wing viewpoints on X, allowing the spread of pro-Trump propaganda. Similar to Harris, Trump hopes to win votes through his influential supporters in key states like Pennsylvania, Ohio, Georgia, and Arizona.

But the question remains with celebrities casting their lots: do these endorsements actually make a significant difference in the outcome of elections? Research says yes! After Taylor Swift endorsed Harris in October, 400,000 people accessed vote.gov the following day. Likewise, Elon Musk, who has over 200 million followers on X, has seen a viewership increase of 138%, a retweet increase of 238%, and a liked tweet increase of 186% since July. Such celebrity support can make or break the election. For instance, in the 2008 presidential election, it is thought that Oprah Winfrey’s endorsement of Barack Obama propelled him to a victory over Hillary Clinton in the Democratic primary and later a victory in the presidential election. Similarly, musician Al Johnson, one of the first celebrity endorsements to make a real difference in a campaign, drove the Republican presidential candidate, Warren Harding, to triumph. 

In an ideal world, individual thought outweighs conformity to public opinion, and personal bravery triumphs over fear of group judgment. Similarly, political opinions would be formed through careful analysis and honest reflection of a candidate’s policies, rather than another person’s beliefs. Yet, in a time of widespread social media, it is increasingly easy to shy away from forming one’s private personal opinion. So for the time being, celebrity endorsements do matter. However, as Harris and Trump sideline policy discussions to focus more on their image, it is important to remember that when deciding who to vote for, the candidates’ presidential plans, their ideas for the future, and their moral character do matter, and if nothing else, maybe it is worth scrutinizing the same for the celebrities supporting them.  

Ryan Wolff