Kamala Harris has Scarlett Johansson. Donald Trump has Scarlett Johnson, president of Ozaukee County Moms for Liberty.
The two women with very similar names offer a glimpse into Trump and Harris’s different support groups. Johnson, the Trump supporter, is a conservative Wisconsin education activist and failed school board candidate, while Johansson is an internationally known movie star who has been named to Time’s 100 Most Influential People list.
Harris has been a magnet for Hollywood’s elite, attracting dozens of major celebrity endorsements that bring with them massive followings — which, in turn, can bring more enthusiasm and even contributions, helping energize the Democratic base with just over a month to go until Election Day.
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Johansson, for example, attended a fundraiser for Harris this week, while the lesser-known Johnson was among the spokespeople present as Trump kicked off a bus tour of several cities in the key swing state of Wisconsin.
Johnson was joined by a handful of members of Congress, generally considered backbenchers. On the fifth and final day of the tour, the campaign team will be joined by high-profile political figures, including Republican National Committee co-chair Lara Trump and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy.
Harris’ campaign, on the other hand, boasts supporters like Oprah Winfrey, who spoke at the Democratic National Convention in August and last week hosted a video town hall for Harris in the swing state of Michigan that featured a wide variety of A-list celebrities, including Jennifer Lopez, Chris Rock, Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts.
Trump is backed by a handful of high-profile celebrities, including Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, Elon Musk, former professional wrestler Hulk Hogan and rapper Lil Wayne, but overall the star power behind Trump — himself one of the world’s biggest celebrities — pales in comparison to that of those backing Harris’ White House bid.
Seeking celebrity endorsements is a long-standing tradition in presidential politics, and Democrats typically win elections. But in doing so, Democrats can open themselves up to an easy attack from Republicans: Democrats are speaking to Hollywood, not average Americans.
“Patriot, Comrade Kamala is building a RADICAL LEFT DREAM TEAM,” Trump wrote in a fundraising email last week after Harris did an interview with Winfrey. “She has HOLLYWOOD HACKS like Oprah Winfrey and Jamie Lee Curtis raising MILLIONS for her campaign.”
Both supported Harris, but it’s unclear how much money, if any, they raised for her campaign.
Harris’ campaign has tried to downplay the role celebrities play in her campaign, telling reporters at the Democratic convention that “we’re not going to be a celebrity-led campaign.”
In 2016, Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign also relied on celebrities, including pop superstar Katy Perry, who gave a memorable performance at the Democratic convention. Clinton, of course, lost to Trump, and the Harris campaign’s comments are a nod to her fear of being seen as out of touch with the average voter.
Neither the Trump nor Harris campaigns responded to requests for comment for this article.
This election cycle, celebrities have been particularly drawn to Harris, who gained their support in the weeks after President Joe Biden announced he was no longer seeking reelection. Many politically engaged celebrities had grown weary of Biden’s campaign, particularly after a disastrous performance in the June debate, but they quickly embraced Harris once she became the party’s presumptive nominee.
One of Harris’ biggest endorsements came from pop superstar Taylor Swift.
Swift endorsed Harris after her first debate with Trump, calling her a “gifted and determined leader.” She did so after Trump falsely reposted an AI-generated image on his social media site, Truth Social, that made it appear as though Swift had endorsed his campaign, which she had not.
“I AGREE,” Trump wrote above the AI-generated image.
Swift criticized the false post, saying it was part of the reason she supported Harris’ campaign.
Trump has since distanced himself from the original false post after being asked if he was concerned Swift would sue. He claimed someone else had made the post, which has not been removed from his social media platform.
Even as he downplayed the number of celebrities who endorsed Harris, Trump has tried to use famous people to appeal to specific groups of voters. He has used rappers to court black voters, and last month he used a rally in Pennsylvania to announce the support of Puerto Rican reggaeton star Anuel AA, who encouraged Puerto Ricans to “vote for Trump.”
A Harvard University study released last month looked at the ability of celebrities to motivate voters to vote and participate in elections. The study concluded that celebrity involvement helps in these areas.
“While some polls show that people say they are not influenced by celebrity voices when it comes to politics, more rigorous evidence indicates that these voices are incredibly powerful,” the study said.
She added that celebrities “are uniquely positioned to empower ordinary Americans to use their voices and exercise their civil rights.”
Trump largely missed out on the celebrity, but he still found a way to capitalize on Harris’s support, sometimes making his own headlines by criticizing her.
Shortly after Swift endorsed Harris, Trump said she would “probably pay a price” for that support, and five days later, on Truth Social, he launched his most direct and brutal attack on Swift yet.
“I hate Taylor Swift,” he posted.
