Trump Persists... Urges Prosecution of Beyonce Over Payments for Supporting Rival

"Received $11 Million for Endorsement," Trump Claims
Beyonce's Team Denies Allegation... Mother Also Refutes

President Donald Trump has argued that pop star Beyonce, who publicly supported former Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic candidate in last year's U.S. presidential election, should be prosecuted.

According to CNN on the 27th (local time), President Trump wrote on his self-created social networking service, Truth Social, that "the Democrats illegally paid $11 million (about 15.2 billion won) to secure Beyonce's endorsement." He went on to emphasize that everyone who received money in exchange for supporting former Vice President Harris broke the law, stating, "They should all be prosecuted."

Pop star Beyonce participated in a campaign supporting candidate Harris on October 26 last year (local time) in Houston, Texas, USA. Photo by Reuters Yonhap News

President Trump has been making these claims repeatedly since February. At that time, he also asserted that Beyonce had received $11 million in exchange for supporting former Vice President Harris, but did not provide any concrete evidence. He reiterated the same claim in May, mentioning the need for an investigation.

Beyonce is considered the most prominent American celebrity who publicly supported Harris, then a presidential candidate, during last year's election. However, Beyonce's representatives have denied President Trump's claim that she received money in exchange for her endorsement, calling it "completely untrue."

Beyonce's mother, Tina Knowles, stated in November last year, when rumors of monetary transactions spread among Trump supporters, that these were "false claims" and clarified, "Beyonce gave a speech and did not receive a single penny."

According to Democratic Party expenditure records, the Harris campaign paid $165,000 (about 230 million won) to Beyonce's production company. The Democratic Party explained that this amount was not a performance fee, but rather the legally required cost for event planning. CNN also reported that, contrary to President Trump's claims, there is no federal law prohibiting payments to celebrities in exchange for endorsements.