CNN
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In September, Latin music superstar Nicky Jam appeared on stage with Donald Trump. Wearing a red MAGA hat, the reggaeton singer said she supported the former president at the Las Vegas rally.
On Tuesday, he withdrew his endorsement — joining a group of prominent Puerto Ricans who condemned a comedian’s attack on the U.S. island territory at Trump’s New York City rally earlier this week.
“Puerto Rico deserves respect,” Nicki Jam told her 43 million Instagram followers.
Although the Jam did not support Harris on its record, celebrities of Puerto Rican descent include Jennifer Lopez, Ricky Martin, Marc Anthony, reggaeton star Dan Omar, “Despacito” singer Luis Fonsi and global superstar Bad Bunny. First Vice President or his platform on Sunday. Lopez will also participate in a rally with Harris in Las Vegas on Thursday.
Harris campaign officials always planned star-studded events in the homestretch of a presidential election. But with Latino artists denouncing Trump and voting in favor of Harris, the October surprise was that the campaign didn’t pick up.
Together, those stars have 390 million global followers on Instagram alone — more than the population of the United States.
In a razor-thin race, experts say celebrity endorsements could move the needle, especially demographically, with Trump harries — Latino men — and especially Puerto Ricans showing the two campaigns closing the gap at the time. Vote in Pennsylvania, a battleground state with a sizable portion of Latino voters.
The Trump campaign tried to distance itself from Hinchcliffe, with campaign spokeswoman Danielle Alvarez saying in a statement after the rally that “this joke does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign.”
A campaign official said the endorsement of Bad Bunny — born Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio — came as a surprise to the Harris team.
Harris campaign officials have been in talks with Bad Bunny’s team and are cautiously optimistic that he will support the vice president’s plans for Puerto Rico, according to a source familiar with the discussions, but they don’t expect him to weigh in Sunday. A video medium of Harris’ plans for the island.
Bad Bunny doesn’t usually weigh in on politics. Harris’ reposting of the video on Instagram was “not an endorsement” but the star’s rep told CNN that he “supports” the vice president because “Benito’s political focus has always been on Puerto Rico.”
For months, an endorsement of Bad Bunny was on the Harris campaign’s wish list because of his influence with young male Latino voters, according to another source familiar with the campaign’s Hollywood outreach.
“They are cultural validators,” said a source close to the campaign, adding that Latino artists’ actions receive coverage in the Spanish media and facilitate open discussions among the Latino community.
Another source described Latino celebrities weighing in for Harris as another way to break the campaign down among Latinos.
Harris pollster Matt Barretto, who focuses on Latino voters, argued that endorsements could help mobilize voters.
“Any kind of celebrity, influencer, famous person has the ability to attract attention and eyeballs,” Barretto said. “That, in itself, is a big positive. They’re accredited. To some extent, they’re trustworthy.
Pareto argued that while celebrities gain attention for name recognition alone, voters need a reason to listen to them. He said Sunday’s inflammatory comments about Puerto Rico are one reason a snowball effect has reached Latinos nationwide.
“It was all natural, and it helped amplify what the average person on the street was feeling,” he said.
“It’s a unique moment that will be talked about long after the campaign and after the election. It’s more powerful than in the Latino community, in any community, with celebrities and influencers and everyday people all reacting to this kind of crime in real time,” he added.
A Hollywood political strategist working with several A-listers this election cycle agrees that credibility is key, especially with celebrity reach and emerging.
“A few years ago, celebrities took the attitude that it’s more. It’s not. You have to focus on the right people in the right places and align people with the right issues and the right message,” the strategist said. “Followers have to believe that.”
Ever since Harris’ campaign launched with Charli XCX’s lime green stamp of approval, Hollywood’s influence has been in the spotlight.
“Kamala Is Brad” by the British pop star Consent Early in his campaign this summer, he took Harris into Gen Z territory, cementing his candidacy among legions of young voters and turning the vice president into a pop culture icon.
Charli XCX’s endorsement came as a surprise to the Harris campaign, but TikTok has been flooded with lime green, coconut tree emojis and music, along with music by another Gen Z pop star, Chapel Rohn, in an effort to reach younger voters.
Taylor Swift’s September endorsement of Harris came as a surprise to the vice presidential campaign after the presidential debate. Both Harris and Trump quickly jumped on the “Swifty” fan base, showcasing the pop superstar’s immense reach: The Harris campaign created Harris-Walls friendship bracelets inspired by the singer, while the Trump campaign released Eras Tour-inspired T-shirts.
As Election Day approaches, the Harris campaign is bringing in more A-listers to rally people to vote, including a long-awaited appearance by Beyoncé last week.
“We will use all the tools at our disposal,” a senior campaign official previously told CNN.
Trump later mocked his opponent for “dancing with Beyoncé,” saying Harris focused more on celebrities than everyday Americans.
But the former president is also getting celebrity support at this critical time. On Wednesday night, Hall of Fame Packers quarterback Brett Favre returned to Green Bay, Wisconsin to join Trump’s latest rally. At Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally on Sunday, TV psychologist Dr. Bill McGraw gave remarks, as did tech mogul Elon Musk.
As CNN previously reported, a recent Harvard study found that celebrity endorsements play an influential role in encouraging citizen participation.
As voters head to the polls, a variety of stars have given their latest endorsements. Few would have guessed, like Oscar winner and longtime environmentalist Leonardo DiCaprio, who spoke about Harris’ commitment to climate change. And said Trump “continually denies the facts.” Others were more surprising, like Arnold Schwarzenegger, the former Republican governor of California, who announced his support for Harris and called Trump “unpatriotic.”
“I don’t really do endorsements. I’m not shy about sharing my opinions, but I hate politics and don’t trust most politicians,” Schwarzenegger wrote on X on Wednesday.
Schwarzenegger’s representatives did not respond to CNN’s request for comment on whether his post came naturally or was coordinated with the Harris campaign.
A prominent advertiser told CNN that, as in the last two elections, many of his left-leaning clients are motivated to take a stand against Trump, rather than show support for another candidate.
“A lot of this is driven by Trump. When it comes down to it, do you all want Trump as president or not? It’s a very motivating thing,” the publicist said. “The Trump phenomenon is more powerful as an organizer than most things.”
But on the other side of the aisle, Trump has more public celebrity supporters than ever.
Her longtime Hollywood fans include Jon Voight, Kelsey Kramer, and Roseanne Barr, and country singers like Jason Aldean and John Rich have also supported her. But this year, actors including Dennis Quaid, Zachary Levy and Mel Gibson have publicly endorsed Trump, as have athletes such as Mike Tyson and Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker, and an astronaut. Buzz Aldrin.
Trump is unique in his multifaceted celebrity approach, targeting the most popular social media stars and podcasters and wielding more influence than most Hollywood celebrities. His hour-and-a-half livestream with 24-year-old gamer Adin Ross drew millions more eyeballs than any traditional news network, as did his recent conversation with podcaster Joe Rogan, which currently has more than 40 million views.
“I won’t overstate the celebrity, but in some very close elections in some states and districts that are going to be won by less than 500 voters, you want to play all your cards,” the Hollywood political strategist said.
