Do Celebrity Endorsements Matter?
We will continue to see endorsements from public figures up until election day, but should we care? It may depend on the artist.
Shortly after the debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, pop artist Taylor Swift endorsed Harris on Instagram. Swift stated that she had done her research and signed her Instagram caption as “Childless Cat Lady.”
It’s not surprising that America’s biggest female pop artist endorsed Harris. It was to be expected.
Days later, Mexican rock band Mana posted a picture on Instagram saying, “Mana no trabaja con racistas” (Mana doesn’t work with racists). In the caption, the band went on to say that it canceled a collaboration with reggaetón artist Nicky Jam after he endorsed Trump at one of his rallies. For context, Mana has a large Latin following in the U.S. and tours the country often.
We will continue to see endorsements from public figures up until election day, but should we care? It may depend on the artist.
For artists like Taylor Swift, perhaps the majority of her base had already decided to vote for Harris. For artists like Mana, who cares? The band isn’t from the U.S., and its comments section had overwhelming support for Trump.
The endorsements that have more weight and are more interesting come from the demographics that Trump has started to win over: The black and Latino communities.
In 2016 and 2020, it was almost impossible to find black or Latin artists publicly supporting Trump. During that time, celebrities faced the loss of their career if they endorsed Trump, leading many to remain silent or endorse Joe Biden. 2024 is different. People don’t seem to fear cancellation or loss of their career anymore.
In the rap community, Kodak Black, Lil Pump, Kanye West, Azealia Banks, Da Baby, Sexxy Red, and Waka Flocka have publicly endorsed Trump. We must also not forget that OnlyFans model, rapper, and entrepreneur Amber Rose spoke at the RNC about how she came to support Trump.
In the Latin music community, artists Nicky Jam, Anuel AA, and Justin Quiles have publicly endorsed Trump, and actors Pedro Morales and Patricia Navidad have done the same.
These endorsements could hold more weight because they’re coming from the demographics that can still be swayed to vote for Trump — demographics that Democrats have relied on for so long but that are now up for grabs. Celebrities and artists endorsing Trump have made the decision to publicly dissent from the Democrat Party regardless of the outcome, and that is admirable.
Generally speaking, people are not waiting on celebrities to make voting decisions. The economy, open borders, and our weakened foreign affairs should be enough for us to know who to vote for in this election. These are all things that haven’t affected Taylor Swift, which is why her “research” has led to her endorsing Harris.
In the end, we all know that our country was in a better place when Trump was in office, and we don’t need a celebrity to tell us otherwise.
- Tags:
- Grassroots