Celebrity endorsements of presidential candidates is a tradition that began as early as the 1920.
One of the earliest and most well known being the 1944 endorsement of Franklin D Roosevelt by Frank Sinatra. This may have been due to Sinatra’s interest in politics and policy however, it was speculated at the time to be a result of his ongoing feud with Bing Crosby who had shown public support for the republican candidate.
This kind of speculation and theatrics are a running theme when discussing celebrity endorsements. With the 2024 election decided, with Donald Trump elected as the 47th President; let’s look back at this year’s election biggest endorsements.
Taylor swift endorses Kamala Harris.
On the 11th of September 2024 Taylor swift addressed her fans through an Instagram post. Taylor stated
“I’m voting for @kamalaharris because she fights for the rights and causes, I believe need a warrior to champion them.”
This was met with a greatly unsurprised reaction from her fan as Swift has been vocal in opposition to republican politicians before. In her 2020 documentary with Netflix Swift was vocal in her opposition to Republican Marsha Blackburn and many other republicans within the Trump lead party.
However, some Swift fans were disappointed with the timing of her endorsement believing she should have done it sooner. Harris had launched her campaign almost two months prior.
Nicky jam withdraws his endorsement of Trump
The American singer, best known as Nicky Jam, expressed his support for Trump when he joined him on stage for his Vegas rally on the 13th of September 2024.
The singer addressed the crowd and expressed his frustration with the current Biden administration and even switching to Spanish to state
“It’s been four years and nothing has happened. We need Trump. Let’s make America great again”.
This move proved to be controversial from the outset with many of his fellow Hispanic singers speaking out against his decision. The Mexican band Maná took their collaborative song with Jam called “De Pies a Cabeza,” off streaming platforms in response to the remarks.
The controversy only continued to grow as on the 30th of October Nicky Jam withdrew his endorsement for Donald Trump following the comedian Tony Hinchcliffe’s comments at the trump rally in New York. Whilst on stage at Madison Square Garden the comedian called Puerto Rico “a floating piece of garbage in the middle of the ocean.” This has caused national outroar with many calling the “joke” thinly veiled racism
In a statement reflecting on this, Nicky Jam denounced the “joke” and stated “I’m renouncing my support for Donald Trump and stepping away from any political conversation…” This has inevitably led many to question celebrities’ place within politics and how damming public declarations of support can be.
Chappell Roan will not be endorsing any candidate
Global superstar Chappell roan is seen as being a voice for the queer and liberal youth. She has shown staunch support for the queer and trans communities, and it was therefore seen as a surprise for many when she failed to endorse the democratic candidate, Harris.
In videos uploaded to her “TikTok” the singer discussed her contentions with the government and political system in general and stating that “there are problems on both sides”, she expressed that she does not feel compelled to publicly endorse a candidate and implored people to use their “critical thinking skills” in order to make their vote count.
This landed the singer in hot water in an election cycle dominated by the media. Many fans were disappointed in her lack of support for the democratic party and for some it led to questions around Roan’s own voting intentions. This was quickly dispelled in a follow up video by roan where she states that she will not be voting for Trump. But the public perception had already been established and for many this was a betrayal.
The scale of this public reaction has led to many questioning the place for and influence of celebrities within politics. For many young voters it is important for their favourite celebrities to align with their political ideals and often a public statement is the only way to confirm this.
Are we putting too many expectations on celebrities? It is fair to want to know the values of the people you are platforming, but should we really expect them to have nuanced and valuable takes on politics?
The media is playing an undeniable role in modern politics; with how candidates’ campaigns and how the electorate interact and consume these campaigns. This is a growing trend internationally with the 2019 British election being coined as the “social media election.”
In her campaign Harris used social media to appeal to the youth voters using memes and references like her viral “brat” , a popular song by singer Charli XCX referenced when campaigning. But how does this translate in the polls? It will be argued by many that people will vote for a candidate based solely off their social media campaign. I think the evidence more widely suggests that especially in today’s age of elections, many are voting for policy and issues important to them.
According to polls before the American election some of the most important issues for voters were the economy, health care and immigration. Voters saw this reflected in their choice to vote for Donald Trump; who has notorious policies on the economy and immigration.
This election was predicted to be one of the closest in recent history with two polarising candidates at its helm. There was a sea of complicated rhetoric and misinformation to wade through. The focus should be on knowing the values you find important and want to see being represented and the candidate best suited to do that.
Voter uptake increases astronomically for presidential elections, and this shows an unfortunate lack of engagement with some of the more valuable and personal local elections. I think it is unsustainable and inconsequential to have celebrities navigate the world of politics. The responsibility of campaigning and encouraging the electoral system should be left to the candidates.
