Celebrities ranging from Taylor Swift and Beyoncé to George Clooney and Harrison Ford proved unable to prevent Kamala Harris’s crushing defeat in the US election, underscoring the limited impact of widespread star support on voters.
Instead, it was Donald Trump and Republicans – who received little support from the entertainment industry at large, but tapped into a targeted subgroup of well-known, hypermasochistic influencers – who won comfortably.
So, did the Democrats’ long-standing Hollywood and music industry ties, including the last-minute rally appearances of Lady Gaga and Jennifer Lopez, make a difference in the end?
“Clearly, not in this election,” said Lawrence Maslon, an art professor at New York University.
“Eventually, people will probably realize that Beyoncé and George Clooney don’t have to worry about the price of gas or the price of eggs – so maybe they’re irrelevant,” he told AFP.
Celebrity endorsements have long been part of the fabric of American elections, dating back to the days when Frank Sinatra broke up the “Rat Pack” to support John F. Kennedy in the 1960s.
Also this year, Hollywood-led fundraisers helped raise millions of dollars for Harris’ record-breaking campaign war chest.
But her influence in actually swaying votes has always been a “mixed bag,” said Margaretta Bentley, an associate professor at Arizona State University who teaches a public policy course on Taylor Swift.
“It’s never going to be the golden ticket that everyone is looking for,” he said.
Mark Harvey, author of “Celebrity Influence: Politics, Persuasion, and Issue-Based Advocacy”, agreed that we “shouldn’t be too surprised” by the lack of celebrity influence.
“There’s no real strong science behind the idea that celebrities can influence people to vote for candidates,” he said.
– ‘Macho’ –
Harvey said that celebrity advocates have been effective only when they advocate for very specific issues on which they are widely considered experts.
As Donald Trump delivered his victory speech early Wednesday, the newly elected President was surrounded by famous names from the world of sports and praising him.
UFC boss Dana White was fondly called “tough” and a “workhorse”, while golfer Bryson DeChambeau was celebrated as “fantastic” and even had a “little longer” drive than the golf-loving Trump. .
The loudest cheering – and a significant portion of Trump’s address – was dedicated to his most famous supporter, tech billionaire Elon Musk.
Trump also got a last-minute endorsement from Joe Rogan, the influential host of one of the world’s top podcasts.
Republicans may have benefited from these associations because, in the election “driven largely by cultural issues, one of the most powerful cultural issues was masculinity,” Harvey said.
“That kind of ‘be a real man,’ Trump ‘macho’ kind of thing… it’s the kind of thing that Joe Rogan plays all the time.”
– ‘Astonished’ –
For Democrats, this latest horrific experience will require “deep self-analysis… of what they did and didn’t do, and what could have been successful,” Bentley said, including celebrity endorsements.
Ashley Spillane, author of the report “Celebrities Strengthening Our Culture of Democracy”, agreed that there was “debate” about “the value and impact of celebrity endorsements of candidates”.
But there is still “strong evidence that celebrities have a real impact in promoting holistic, non-partisan civic engagement,” he wrote via email, pointing to Swift’s endorsement of Harris, which It was credited with driving 400,000 people to the voter registration site.
Even if their support fails, Hollywood celebrities gave no indication Wednesday that they will remain silent.
Upon hearing the news of Trump’s victory, many celebrities took to social media to express their disappointment.
Oscar winner Jamie Lee Curtis said Trump’s victory would “certainly usher in a return to more restrictive, some fear draconian times.”
Actor John Cusack wrote, “Fascists with full power…that may be the last free election.” “Spooky is coming.”
Pop singer Cardi B, who appeared at Harris’ rally last Friday, wrote simply: “I hate all these bad things.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
