Taylor Swift, Elon Musk and Hulk Hogan: How celebrities back Trump and Harris
Taylor Swift and Elon Musk (collage: RBC-Ukraine)
In the US elections, not only party members but also various sports stars, celebrities, and public figures actively campaign for the presidential candidates.
RBC-Ukraine highlights the VIP supporters Donald Trump and Kamala Harris have managed to enlist.
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Both US presidential candidates, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, are relying on so-called VIP endorsers during their campaigns. These include artists, current and former politicians, businesspeople, and popular bloggers. Many of them have a massive following on social media, but their influence extends beyond just their online presence.
Who supports Harris
A large portion of Hollywood celebrities has sided with the Democratic candidate. Notable names include Beyoncé, Ariana Grande, George Clooney, Katy Perry, and many others. However, American commentators highlight Taylor Swift in particular. Swift publicly backed Kamala Harris on September 11, right after the US presidential debate. She commands a highly loyal fanbase, primarily young people and women — groups that already tend to favor the Democrat.
Harris also draws strong support from influential leaders within the Democratic Party. Former US presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama have campaigned for her at rallies.
As reported by Reuters, Obama, who served as president from 2009 to 2017, is focusing on male voters — a group that leans more toward Trump in this election. His other target demographic is university students, whom he aims to mobilize during the final stage of the campaign. Both Obama and his wife Michelle delivered speeches in support of Harris at the Democratic National Convention in August. Additionally, Obama has campaigned for Harris in key battleground states, including Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin.
Bill Clinton, who was president from 1993 to 2001, is concentrating his efforts on the “Sun Belt” states, such as Georgia, Nevada, and Arizona. He has already made campaign stops in Las Vegas. According to CNN, Clinton will focus on rural voters, among whom Harris is polling worse than some recent Democratic candidates.
Current president Joe Biden, under whom Harris serves as vice president, is also part of this political VIP team supporting her campaign.
Who supports Trump
The Republican candidate has fewer pop stars campaigning for him. However, rappers Kanye West, Azealia Banks, and Lil Pump, along with Puerto Rican singers Anuel AA and Justin Quiles, and rock musician Kid Rock, have expressed their support for Trump.
Among them, Kanye West stands out as one of the most influential and controversial figures. Beyond his music career, he owns several clothing brands and holds significant influence in the fashion industry. West supported Trump during his presidency from 2016 to 2020. In the 2020 election, West ran as a candidate in 12 states but garnered minimal votes. He had also planned to run in the 2024 election and revealed that he had asked Trump to be his running mate for vice president in 2022.
In addition, many country singers have voiced their support for Trump. Country music, rooted in European folk traditions brought to the US by immigrants, remains particularly popular in small towns and rural areas of the southern and southwestern US, regions that traditionally back Republicans.
Some of the artists who support Trump include Jason Aldean, Billy Ray Cyrus, Lee Greenwood, John Rich, and Travis Tritt. Although these names might not be widely recognized by Ukrainian audiences, they are highly influential in their niche, comparable to pop stars. Like in Harris’s case, country singers mainly appeal to an audience already inclined to support Trump.
Several popular former wrestlers, including Hulk Hogan, Kane, and The Undertaker, have also expressed support for Trump. Wrestling combines elements of martial arts, athletics, and theatre, making it a unique American cultural phenomenon.
Hogan appeared at the Republican National Convention, where Trump was nominated, dramatically tearing his shirt to reveal a red tank top branded with "Trump-Vince." Trump has long-standing ties with the wrestling industry and has made multiple appearances on WWE, the leading organization in the field, giving him additional avenues for promotion. Kane (real name Glenn Jacobs) has been involved in politics for some time, representing the Republicans and serving as mayor of a county in Tennessee since 2018. Meanwhile, The Undertaker (Mark Calaway) recorded a podcast with Trump.
Elon Musk at Donald Trump's rally (photo: x.com/itsavibe)
Billionaire Elon Musk is also campaigning for Donald Trump, reportedly contributing $75 million to the politician’s campaign, according to the Financial Times. Musk owns the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), providing Trump’s team with a direct channel to campaign without restrictions.
P. Diddy scandal and the US elections
One of the biggest showbiz scandals in recent years erupted this fall. On September 16, American rapper P. Diddy (real name Sean Combs) was arrested, facing charges of sex trafficking and racketeering. More than 100 people have filed lawsuits against him. Diddy has hosted extravagant parties over the years, attended by numerous Hollywood celebrities.
During a search of his Los Angeles mansion, police uncovered items allegedly used for "white parties" — gatherings known for orgiastic activities. The evidence reportedly included drugs and over 1,000 bottles of baby oil. Celebrities like Will Smith, Paris Hilton, Mariah Carey, Kanye West, Cara Delevingne, Snoop Dogg, Jennifer Lopez, Beyoncé, Oprah Winfrey, and Leonardo DiCaprio are said to have attended these events.
Both Trump and Harris are leveraging the scandal for their campaigns, trying to associate P. Diddy with each other’s side.
It was revealed that P. Diddy collaborated with Harris in 2020, organizing discussions on racial inequality during the COVID-19 pandemic. Harris publicly thanked him on Twitter. Trump, in turn, shared and later deleted a 2000 photo of Harris, claiming it featured P. Diddy. However, it was later identified as her boyfriend at the time.
Trump’s ties with P. Diddy date back to the 1990s, when both were prominent businessmen in New York. In 1998, Trump referred to Diddy as "legendary" in a birthday invitation. However, their relationship soured during Trump’s first presidency, and in 2020, P. Diddy publicly backed Joe Biden in the election.
This latest controversy highlights how unexpected events can emerge in US elections, influencing voter sentiment.
Sources: Deadline, CNN, Reuters, and the Hollywood Reporter.
