How far does a celebrity endorsement go in the US election?

By Michael Baggs (with Emily Maitlis & Jon Sopel)

Billie Eilish is the latest celebrity to throw her support behind Kamala Harris in the 2024 election, but if history has told us one thing, it’s that famous names can only take a campaign so far.

In brief…

Read time: 4 mins

• Billie Eilish has urged fans to vote for Kamala Harris “like your life depends on it, because it does”.
• Hillary Clinton was backed by countless stars in her 2016 run for The White House, and still lost to Donald Trump.
• The News Agents say that while big-name backing could “change the race”, there has been criticism of the Harris campaign running on “vibes” over policy.

What’s the story?

Billie Eilish has become the latest celebrity to endorse Kamala Harris for president in the upcoming US election.

In a statement posted to Instagram, the US star said she was voting for Harris and Tim Walz because “they are fighting to protect our reproductive freedom, our planet and our democracy”.

Her brother and longtime song co-writer Finneas added: "We can’t let extremists control our lives, our freedoms and our future. The only way to stop them and the dangerous Project 2025 agenda is to vote and elect Kamala Harris."

Eilish added: "Vote like your life depends on it, because it does."

Her song, When The Party's Over, was also used in a Harris campaign ad, which focused on the concerns around Trump's stance on reproductive rights in America, should he become president again.

Who has endorsed Kamala in 2024?

Eilish's support for Harris and Walz follows Taylor Swift's recent endorsement of the Democratic Party campaign, describing the candidate as a "steady-handed, gifted leader", adding she believes America can "accomplish so much more in this country if we are led by calm and not chaos."

Emily Maitlis described Swift's comments as a "grown up endorsement", as the singer urged people to do their own research into the presidential candidates.

He responded to Taylor Swift's support of his Democrat rival by writing on Truth Social (his own social network), "I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT".

George Clooney, a notable Democrat supporter and fundraiser, shared his support for Harris in July following Joe Biden dropping out of the race, saying he backed her "historic quest" to become president.

UK star Charli XCX gave her support to Harris in her own way, declaring “Kamala IS brat” as people across the world enjoyed a ‘brat summer’ in 2024.

Who has endorsed Trump in 2024?

Former wrestling star Hulk Hogan was greeted with a huge round of applause at the 2024 Republican convention, when he tore off his shirt to reveal he was wearing a Trump/Vance vest.

He called Trump his "hero" and said: "They've thrown everything at Donald Trump, all the investigations, the impeachments, the court cases, and he's still standing and kicking their butts."

He was also joined at a rally in September by latin music star Nicky Jam, asking his crowd if they had heard of her, adding "she's hot". Nicky Jam is a man.

Trump has had his fair share of celebrity opposition also, with a long list of artists previously asking him to stop playing their music at his rallies and events, the list includes; ABBA, Adele, The Beatles, Beyoncée, Bruce Springsteen, Celine Dion, Elton John, Foo Fighters, Guns N Roses, Linkin Park, Pharrell Williams, Queen, REM, Rihanna, Rolling Stones, and many more, at his rallies.

What impact do celebrity endorsements have?

"I don't know whether celebrity endorsements will transfer that young people will go out to vote,  but Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, they're not nobody's" says Emily Maitlis.

But when Hillary Clinton ran against Donald Trump in 2016, her list of famous supporters was a who's-who of Hollywood and the music industry – and look how that turned out.

Clinton secured more votes overall that year, but ultimately failed in her bid to become the first female president.

Ben Affleck, Drew Barrymore, Angela Bassett, George Clooney, Jamie Lee Curtis, Matt Damon, Viola Davis, Robert De Niro, Leonardo DiCaprio, Morgan Freeman, Tom Hanks, Hugh Jackman Helen Mirren, Lupita Nyong'o, Julia Roberts, Sophie Turner, DJ Khaled, Jay-Z, ASAP Rocky, Adele, Madonna, Beyoncé, Mariah Carey, Ariana Grande, Justin Timberlake, and many, many more lined up to back Clinton at the time.

What's The News Agents' take?

This time around, endorsements from Eilish and Swift could work to solidify the female vote, as abortion rights in the US are a much bigger issue now than they were in 2016, before the overturning of Roe Vs Wade.

"Kamala Harris is enjoying this huge lead among women over Donald Trump. And as we know, women vote in greater numbers than men," said Jon, following the Swift endorsement, adding her support would "exaggerate that gap".

While Emily said getting the Swities on side could have "fundamentally changed the race".

But in using the Billie Eilish track in their campaign ad, the Democrats are clearly hoping to leverage the support given by one of the biggest young stars in the world, but there has been criticism that they are focusing too heavily on "good vibes" rather than clear policy.

"They are trying to make this a vibe," Jon Sopel says.

"We've talked about it so much – the vibe campaign.

"Whereas you go straight out, you target young people where they are, and you don't just say vote for her, you say, register to vote, that is your first act as a citizen."

Listen in full on The News Agents.

---