As the race draws ever closer and D-Day approaches at a rapid pace, the electrifying intensity of anticipation for the upcoming US presidential elections is being felt not only in the United States but around the world. And one particular phenomenon that is almost unique to US presidential elections, in terms of volume and impact, is celebrity endorsement.

This has been a common practice in the United States since the beginning of the 20th century. Silent film actors Al Johnson and Mary Pickford were famous for defending President Warren G. Harding before they could even speak in films. Nothing much has changed, and yes, Hollywood support is pouring into both candidates, Harris and Trump.

From Eminem introducing Barack Obama to rallying support for Kamala Harris a few days ago at an event in her iconic style to Kanye West’s eternal declarations of support for Donald Trump, hip hop is abuzz for find out who will get the White House. Of course, we all remember the public argument on Charlie It was a “BRAT Summer,” the summer of 2024, as many of us on social media were led to believe.

Hollywood has mostly showered its love on Kamala Harris, but Trump also has his star supporters.

Kamala boasts such heavy hitters as Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Jennifer Aniston, Cher, Bruce Springsteen, George Clooney, Neil Young… The list goes on.

Trump, in addition to Elon Musk, who himself is a Hollywood celebrity in addition to being a technology mogul, has in his corner Kid Rock, Mel Gibson, Tucker Carlson, Kanye West, Dennis Quaid and Rob Schneider, among others.

So what’s the problem behind Hollywood’s massive involvement in the election, and are their songs, high-profile appearances, and social media posts actually making a real difference?

With the candidates currently neck and neck in the race, can an appearance by Beyoncé really shake things up?

We certainly know that candidates invest in social media mentions. Tana Mongeau, a popular social media personality with a successful podcast that has millions of followers, said during one of her podcasts that she is personally aware that a large number of social media influencers have seen offering huge sums of money to support a particular candidate. . This isn’t really any different from the branded offerings they usually generate their revenue from. She explained that while she hadn’t succumbed to this pressure, she knew many other influencers who had.

Bryce Hall, a TikTok star, has been very vocal about his support for Donald Trump, frequently seen wearing MAGA clothing, and has proclaimed, “We really need Trump back,” on numerous podiums.

There’s no denying that celebrity endorsements have a hugely positive effect on consumer products, but is the same true when it comes to a country’s leadership elections?

Most studies that have attempted to assess the impact of celebrity endorsement on elections often come up with conflicting results due to various underlying factors.

The 2008 case study of the Democratic Presidential Primary and Oprah Winfrey’s impact on it was very interesting. Researchers found the data containing the areas where sales of Oprah’s book club and magazines were highest and used it to determine where she had the most followers and fans, where it was presumed that her support would have the most impact. Then, they cross-referenced the voting records of political representatives in those specific areas to determine the policy trends and contributions of those areas. This data, combined with polling results, showed that Oprah’s support for Barack Obama in 2008 for the Democratic primary was responsible for 1,015,559 votes (Garthwaite and Moore, 2013).

However, a 2007 poll by USA Today and Gallup showed that 10 percent of adults were less likely to vote for Barack Obama because of Oprah Winfrey’s support. A conclusion completely opposite to Garthwaite’s report.

There is a general consensus that voters trust political analysts more than celebrities when it comes to voting.

Although one might assume that younger voters, less politically aware and less informed about political issues, might be influenced by their pop or movie idols, many studies show that they instead rely more on their families and their immediate social circle when it comes to voting. It can also be argued that celebrity trustworthiness is too vague a concept when it comes to voting.

Sometimes celebrity endorsement can also have a negative impact on the candidate or party. For example, during the 2016 US presidential elections, Hillary Clinton enjoyed the support of a number of pornographic actors, which led to disapproval from many of her potential voters.

Additionally, celebrities professing support for candidates outside their party were less likely to have a positive impact on the candidate in question. In fact, it could also have a negative impact for that candidate, since he would lose credibility due to support coming from outside the party with which he is affiliated. For example, a celebrity with an already known propensity toward the Democratic Party will be better received by the Democratic voting population. Same thing with the Republicans. Individual party preferences can often hinder the effects of support.

According to one study (Brubaker, 2011), Democratic voters were more likely to be influenced by celebrity endorsement than Republicans.

Republican and independent supporters tend to vote for a policy endorsed by a nonpartisan government official rather than a singer.

Ultimately, while celebrity endorsement may have a guiding effect on voters who lack political awareness, there is no evidence to suggest that celebrity endorsement actually has a real-time impact on the outcome of an election. no matter which candidate.

Hollywood is firing on all cylinders in the last stage of its electoral campaign before November 2024.

Now the wait begins until at least November 5 to find out who comes out on top. Not just in the Trump vs. Harris battle, but also in the battle between Taylor Swift and Elon Musk. A dispute that received as much media attention as any other political conversation in the United States during the pre-election summer. Will Trump achieve another resounding victory, or will America have its first female president? One thing is certain: the last few months have surpassed any Hollywood thriller scenario.

The author is a freelance journalist and writer based in Delhi. His main areas of interest are politics, social issues, climate change and lifestyle topics. The opinions expressed in the article above are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Firstpost.

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