Celebrities have come out in support of Kamala Harris ahead of the US Election (Picture: AFP)
The US Presidential Election is now upon us, with Americans going to the polls across the country today, voting to have their say on whether Kamala Harris or Donald Trump will call the White House their home for the next four years.
In the lead up, social media has been abuzz with friends, family members and media organizations sharing key facts about Republican and Democrat policies, while celebrities have been highlighting the candidates they are endorsing.
Taylor Swift made headlines around the world when she publicly backed Harris on Instagram in September, in a post that has been liked more than 11million times and counting.
In August, the Foo Fighters took matters into their own hands after the Trump campaign used their song, My Hero, at an event in Arizona without permission – a representative confirmed that any royalties the group receive from the unpermitted usage will be ‘donated to the Harris/Walz campaign’.
Beyonce reportedly threatened the Trump campaign for the unauthorized use of Freedom, from her Lemonade album, in a video, before allowing Harris to use the same track in her campaign. She also supported her on stage at a rally in Houston last month.
Cardi B and Jennifer Lopez are just some of the A-Listers who have appeared by Harris’ side during events, as LeBron James, Harrison Ford, Rihanna and many more followed suit on social media – while Jake Paul and Joe Rogan championed Trump.
Beyonce appeared at a rally in Houston last month (Picture: Getty)
She embraced the current Vice President on stage (Picture: Getty)
With the election on a knife-edge and tensions at an all-time high, their involvement on such a public scale is seemingly priceless for any hopeful, but how much do these big name endorsements really matter, and how much can they sway the public when it really counts?
Public relations expert Anthony Burr suggested that their support could truly be invaluable, telling Metro: ‘It’s always interesting to look into celebrity endorsements around major elections and what impact they actually have, especially now given that Beyonce and Taylor Swift have publicly endorsed Kamala Harris.
‘Does it matter? Well from a purely public relations standpoint, yes it does. Through history, the general public consensus has been that most politicians are dull bureaucrats. Since the 1950s, political aides have recognized that adding a touch of glamour to vamp up Presidential campaigns wins votes.
‘And the quick win of recruiting the most popular artists from stage and screen with engaged fanbases has been the most impactful.’
Donald Trump is the Republican party candidate (Picture: AFP)
Dr Phil McGraw appeared at a rally in New York to support him (Picture: AFP)
Sopranos star Drea de Matteo has also voiced her support (Picture: Instagram)
In the last few weeks alone, Jennifer Aniston and Selena Gomez were among the huge names voting …read more
Source:: Metro
