Can Political Endorsements From Stars Like Taylor Swift Make a Difference?
President Joe Biden is bringing out the big guns this Saturday in Los Angeles at a star-studded fundraiser with hopes of picking up more endorsements and big checks.
The campaign is tapping into its Hollywood A-list base as George Clooney and Julia Roberts join forces with former President Barack Obama at an event projected to raise millions. Biden and Obama will then be interviewed by late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel.
The event comes just days after former President Donald Trump reportedly expressed “surprise” during a trip to Washington that pop superstar Taylor Swift had not yet endorsed him for president. Nevertheless, Trump has been slowly picking up celebrity endorsements, including from country singer Jason Aldean, model Amber Rose and Jon Voight.
Hollywood traditionally throws most of its support behind Democratic candidates, and Biden seems to have the strongest momentum in picking up celebrity endorsements. The jury is still out, though, on how important they are to voters.
Political campaigns for decades have sought celebrity endorsements to help pull them ahead in November. John T. Shaw, director of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University, called it “one of the timeless rituals of American politics.”
“All campaigns do it – or at least try to do it,” he says. “Celebrities can be modestly helpful in drawing attention to a campaign. They can jazz up events, help raise money, give testimonials, tape commercials, and reach out to millions through social media.”
But he noted that there is no compelling evidence that a celebrity endorsement, or any, can alter campaigns in significant ways.
Lady Gaga speaks in support of Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden during a drive-in campaign rally, Nov. 2, 2020, in Pittsburgh, Penn.
“Celebrities can generate attention, but they are notoriously difficult to keep on message,” he says. “Their success and notoriety can anger and alienate as much as entice and impress.”
Shaw says a smart campaign “will seek celebrity endorsements from people who command wide-ranging respect for their decency, judgment, and common sense,” adding that they should not expect celebrities to “make the sale.”
“Campaigns – and especially candidates – have to do that,” he says.
But some studies have shown that key endorsements do have a positive impact.
A 2013 study done by Northwestern University, for example, found TV personality Oprah Winfrey’s 2008 endorsement of Obama led to increased voter turnout and campaign donations. And a 2008 study from Columbia University found Winfrey’s endorsement was responsible for an estimated 1 million additional votes for him.
Hollywood for Biden
Over the last few months, the Biden campaign has seen an influx of A-listers flocking to the campaign with endorsements. Almost all have taken unique forms.
Standing outside of a Manhattan courthouse where Trump’s New York hush money trial was wrapping up in late May, veteran actor Robert De Niro offered some harsh words for Trump.
“When Trump ran in 2016, it was like a joke,” De Niro said. “This buffoon running for president? Naw, never could happen. We’d forgotten the lessons of history that showed us other clowns who weren’t taken seriously until they became vicious dictators.”
The actor, who won an Oscar for his portrayal of a gangster, yelled back at Trump supporters lobbing obscenities at him, calling them “gangsters.”
Come August, director Steven Spielberg will be involved in storytelling efforts for the Democratic National Convention. Top performers Lenny Kravitz, Barbra Streisand and James Taylor have all also gotten involved in Biden’s campaign, performing for the president’s donors.
And with the fundraiser this weekend, millions in donations are expected to pour in. A similar event in New York City in March brought in a record $25 million for the campaign. The hosts for the Los Angeles event have already begun a texting campaign to raise donations.
The largely left-leaning industry’s embrace of Biden isn’t without precedent. In 2008, Obama gained the endorsement of rapper Jay-Z and singer Beyonce, and in 2016 Hillary Clinton received endorsements from stars like Katy Perry, De Niro and Elton John.
Trump’s Appeal to Hollywood’s Political Outsiders
Since first running in 2016, Trump has consistently courted and reveled in endorsements from unlikely players in the entertainment industry.
Recently, model and TV personality Amber Rose sent shockwaves through her fan base in May when she posed for a photo with Trump and former First Lady Melania Trump. The endorsement in an Instagram post came eight years after she called Trump a “f—-ing idiot” in a 2016 New York Magazine interview.
Other supporters include veteran actor Kelsey Grammer of Frasier fame, actress Roseanne Barr, former football star Brett Favre and actor Dennis Quaid.
The Swift Factor
Noticeably missing so far is the opinion of Swift. The pop royal, who holds major influence with younger voters, has yet to issue an endorsement ahead of November.
A solidly left-leaning entertainer, Swift endorsed Biden in 2020 and is already being openly courted by the campaign on social media and in a press release.
In an illustration of her star power, a single post from 2023 encouraging her millions of fans to register by directing them to the nonprofit organization Vote.org led to more than 35,000 registrations. But her record is mixed – in 2018 she endorsed two Democratic candidates in Tennessee who both lost.
But Swift’s ever-powerful sway over her legions of supporters is something that Biden and now Trump desperately want.
In an interview last year, Trump called the singer “very beautiful” but bemoaned her left-leaning politics, saying “I think she’s liberal. She probably doesn’t like Trump.”
