Swift, Beyoncé, Springsteen: Trump's new political foes are pop stars
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
(left to right) Taylor Swift, Bruce Springsteen and Beyoncé. Photos: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic, Shirlaine Forrest, Amy Sussman via Getty Images
President Trump spent several days brawling online with America's biggest pop stars, re-litigating their support for then-Vice President Harris in the 2024 election, bashing their talent and demanding they be investigated.
Why it matters: Trump has repeatedly used the power of the federal government to probe political enemies and target the Democrats' fundraising arm.
Driving the news: "How much did Kamala Harris pay Bruce Springsteen for his poor performance during her campaign for president?" Trump wrote on Truth Social early Monday.
- "Isn't that a major and illegal campaign contribution? What about Beyoncé?" he added. "And how much went to Oprah and Bono??? I am going to call for a major investigation into this matter."
Reality check: Celebrities' teams shut down rumors during the election that they were paid millions for their appearances with Harris
Taylor Swift
Context: Trump's post spree began Friday, when he said the pop star is no longer "hot."
- "Has anyone noticed that, since I said 'I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT,' she's no longer 'HOT?'" the president wrote Friday on Truth Social.
The latest: "He is speaking about Taylor Swift's political views and how perhaps it has impacted the support of the American public for her work," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said when asked about the comments Monday. "And I will leave it at that."
- Swift just wrapped up her Eras Tour, which took in more than $2 billion, the highest grossing tour ever, according to estimates.
Bruce Springsteen
State of play: Springsteen, during his European tour, criticized the Trump administration, calling its policies and rhetoric dangerous.
- "In America, they are persecuting people for using their right to free speech and voicing their dissent," he said during a Manchester show. "This is happening now."
- "In America, the richest men are taking satisfaction in abandoning the world's poorest children to sickness and death. This is happening now."
The other side: "I see that highly overrated Bruce Springsteen goes to a foreign country to speak badly about the president of the United States," Trump wrote on Friday.
- "Never liked him, never liked his music, or his radical left politics."
- Springsteen has clashed with Republican presidents going back to Ronald Reagan, who tried to use the singer's Vietnam War anthem "Born in the U.S.A" as a celebration of American patriotism.
Beyoncé
Flashback: Beyoncé spoke at a Houston campaign rally for Harris in the final stretch of the election.
- "I'm not here as a celebrity. I'm not here as a politician. I'm here as a mother," Beyoncé, whose 35 grammy wins are the most by any female artist, said during her endorsement.
Trump slammed Beyoncé repeatedly for her appearance.
- Days after her appearance, he told an audience: "We don't need Beyoncé, we don't need anybody... all you got is me, and I don't have a guitar," per Billboard. The audience booed mention of her name.
Zoom out: Beyoncé also gave Harris permission to use her 2016 song "Freedom" as its campaign song.
- Her record label and music publisher sent a cease-and-desist to the Trump campaign for using the song on a social media post.
Go deeper:
