The Daily Populous Monday May 19th, 2025 evening edition
Authored by the-independent.com and submitted by The__Illuminaughty

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President Donald Trump has spent the past several hours targeting and blasting celebrities for their support of his Democratic rival during the election - with Beyonce, Bruce Springsteen and Bono among the A-listers drawing his ire.

In a 2 a.m. Monday post on Truth Social, the president suggested that his 2024 rival Kamala Harris could have paid Springsteen for an “illegal campaign contribution” during the presidential election last year, without providing any evidence.

“HOW MUCH DID KAMALA HARRIS PAY BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN FOR HIS POOR PERFORMANCE DURING HER CAMPAIGN FOR PRESIDENT?,” Trump wrote. “WHY DID HE ACCEPT THAT MONEY IF HE IS SUCH A FAN OF HERS? ISN’T THAT A MAJOR AND ILLEGAL CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTION? WHAT ABOUT BEYONCÉ? …AND HOW MUCH WENT TO OPRAH, AND BONO???

“I am going to call for a major investigation into this matter. Candidates aren’t allowed to pay for ENDORSEMENTS, which is what Kamala did, under the guise of paying for entertainment. In addition, this was a very expensive and desperate effort to artificially build up her sparse crowds. IT’S NOT LEGAL! For these unpatriotic “entertainers,” this was just a CORRUPT & UNLAWFUL way to capitalize on a broken system. Thank you for your attention to this matter!!!”

None of his claims were substantiated.

open image in gallery President Donald Trump has gone after several celebrities Monday for their support of Kamala Harris during the campaign season. ( AP )

The president continued to rail against Springsteen, Beyonce and others on Monday morning, ramping up his demands for an investigation into their supposedly unlawful campaign activities for Harris during the 2024 election.

“According to news reports, Beyoncé was paid $11,000,000 to walk onto a stage, quickly ENDORSE KAMALA, and walk off to loud booing for never having performed, NOT EVEN ONE SONG!” Trump exclaimed. “Remember, the Democrats and Kamala illegally paid her millions of Dollars for doing nothing other than giving Kamala a full throated ENDORSEMENT. “

Switching to all-caps, the president concluded: “HIS IS AN ILLEGAL ELECTION SCAM AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL! IT IS AN ILLEGAL CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTION! BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, OPRAH, BONO AND, PERHAPS, MANY OTHERS, HAVE A LOT OF EXPLAINING TO DO!!!”

open image in gallery Trump targeted Beyonce - who appeared at a rally with Harris - and questioned how much the singer was paid for the appearance. ( Getty Images )

open image in gallery “HOW MUCH DID KAMALA HARRIS PAY BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN FOR HIS POOR PERFORMANCE DURING HER CAMPAIGN FOR PRESIDENT?,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. ( Getty Images )

The social media rants came hours after Trump offered his support to his predecessor, former President Joe Biden, who announced that he was suffering from prostate cancer.

Last week, Springsteen described Trump’s administration as “corrupt, incompetent and treasonous.”

Addressing a crowd in Manchester, England, Springsteen said: “In my home, the America I love, the America I’ve written about, that has been a beacon of hope and liberty for 250 years, is currently in the hands of a corrupt, incompetent and treasonous administration.”

Trump reacted badly to those comments, telling Springsteen that he “never liked him, never liked his music or his Radical Left Politics,” in a social media post.

Springsteen endorsed Harris in early October last year, a month before the election. During his endorsement announcement, he suggested Trump should have been disqualified from running due to his “disdain for the sanctity of our constitution, the sanctity of democracy, the sanctity of the rule of law, and the sanctity of the peaceful transfer of power.”

Machiavvelli3060 on May 19th, 2025 at 11:04 UTC »

So Donald Trump is allowed to publicly mock and insult people, but if they do it to him, then he weaponizes the Department of Justice against them.

This is the expected behavior of a 5-year-old.

mkt853 on May 19th, 2025 at 10:42 UTC »

A major investigation? For what crime?

arilupe on May 19th, 2025 at 10:42 UTC »

Free speech? Only applies to Trump and his loyal lemmings.