Celebrities heavily impact the public, from simple fashion choices to presidential decisions. Many influential celebrities have stated their support for their chosen political candidates. During the lead-up to the 2024 presidential election, many people flocked to social media to emphasize the importance and impact of voting. Celebrities have such a large influence on many people’s opinions and choices. According to Knowledge at Wharton, when it comes to celebrity endorsement, “ the ability of celebrities to persuade is rooted in evolution and biology. Both humans and primates will follow the lead of high-status, high-prestige individuals in their group by aligning their gaze or copying their decisions.” Celebrity endorsements can be crucial in helping candidates promote their campaigns. During the most recent presidential election, it seemed that a new celebrity was endorsing a candidate every week, as this election was vital for both political parties.
Elon Musk: In 2007 and 2016, Musk clearly stated his support for both Democratic candidates Obama and Clinton. But during this election, he thought former President Trump’s campaign aligned more with his values, and he donated roughly 72 million dollars to Trump’s campaign. Musk’s is the owner of social media platform “X,” formally known as Twitter. At the time, Musk had the largest following on “X”. His endorsement tweet was quite out of character, due to his support of Clinton last term. His strong support for Trump was still prevalent even after Trump won the election.
Taylor Swift: Swift is easily one of the most influential people right now as many of her supporters are younger and new voters According to the New York Times, youth voting turnout is immensely low; around 46% of registered voters between the ages of 18 and 29 chose to vote in 2020. Swift stated on an Instagram post that she will be voting for Vice President Kamala Harris “because she fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them.” 24 hours after her announcement, around 340,000 people visited the voting registration site, according to the BBC. Swift’s opinion and endorsement were vital to some voters.
An interview from NBC10 Boston collected input from voters in the area, asking questions like “Do you care about Taylor Swift endorsing Kamala Harris?” An anonymous interviewee stated, “Yeah, I think this could be seismic. I don’t know of any other celebrity who has as substantial an impact on their fan base as Swift. And I’m glad that she’s finally using that platform as many artists have done in decades past.”
Joe Rogan: Rogan is an internet personality who runs a very popular podcast called “The Joe Rogan Experience.” His clear endorsement of Trump reached many voters, reached many voters, with his podcast having 18.5 million listers. His Twitter post about Trump could have been more impactful, as it happened on the eve of election night. Rogan has a huge following and committed fanbase his podcast with Trump got over 51 million views.
Beyoncé: Pop star Beyoncé began her public support of Harris during her Houston Texas show. She said that she was voting for Harris not as a famous popstar, but as a concerned 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.”
Kanye West: Kanye West, also known as Ye, has shown his support of Trump countless times and has been spotted outside of Trump rallies and has been pictured wearing MAGA hats. Kanye has a group of die-hard fans, so his passionate support for Trump in 2020 surely swayed some of his supporters and was an iconic moment in pop culture.
Celebrity endorsement is controversial, but it’s impossible to deny the benefits of endorsements. Both Harris and Trump benefited from these celebrities speaking out and supporting them and also benefited from celebrities donating millions of dollars to demonstrate their commitment to either party. However, it’s important to remember that voting only happens every two years at a national level, and doing your research and creating your own opinions and reasons to vote for a candidate is just as pertinent as listening to your favorite artist.
