Looking towards the upcoming election, I thought it would be interesting to do an overview of celebrities that support either Harris or Trump. I think the actions of these celebrities can help give perspective on the values the candidates support or are adjacent to. This article is an opinion piece, but I let actions speak for themselves.
Tony Hinchcliffe
Tony Hinchcliffe is known for his work on Comedy Central Roast and his podcast: Kill Tony. He recently was hired to speak at Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally.
During the rally he is directly quoted saying: “There’s a lot going on. I don’t know if you know this but there’s literally a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean right now. I think it’s called Puerto Rico.” (BBC) According to the BBC he also “drew on racist tropes about black people and watermelons”, “called Palestinians rock-throwers”, “suggested Jews would not spend money” (an antisemitic stereotype) and “suggested Latinos ‘loved making babies.’” It’s important to note that Hinchcliffe’s “joke” about Puerto Rico was approved by the Trump campaign while his other comments were ad-libbed.
The only thing I could find on Hinchcliffe that was positive is a CBC article (pre rally) that implied that comedians were eager to be on his podcast because they can say whatever they like.
Kid Rock
For those who are unfamiliar, Kid Rock is a Musician who fuses country with rap and rock. He is a supporter of Trump and he performed at the most recent GOP.
According to Rolling Stone he has performed multiple times with the Confederate flag as a background. After his first performance with a Confederate flag he claimed he was not racist. Later after further protests over his use of the Confederate flag he was quoted saying “Please tell the people who are protesting to kiss my (a word).” to Fox News (Rolling Stone).
Kid has also commented on the 2020 election “I’m going to say this on the record: It was stolen … by a bunch of (f-ing) (a words) that voted for Joe Biden” (Rolling Stone). In the same Rolling Stone article, Kid Rock ends up pulling out a gun, shouting expletives, and using the N word multiple times.
Kid Rock also runs a charity: The Kid Rock Foundation, received an 84% on Charity Navigator for its work with disadvantaged children and veterans. They also work with homeless people, art and music education, and community building. I could not find anything malicious about The Kid Rock Foundation, but the website does sport a whole tab about Donald Trump with no context or connection to the charity, a little concerning for a charity that at its face has nothing to do with politics.
Elon Musk
I’m sure you’re aware of Elon Musk’s purchase of X (formerly Twitter). X implemented revenue sharing for verified content creators, essentially paying verified users for the ad revenue they generate through their content (The Guardian).“‘What we’ve seen,’ says Ed Saperia, dean of the London College of Political Technology, ‘is controversial content drives engagement. Extreme content drives engagement.’ Creating toxic content became a viable livelihood.” Musk’s commitment to “free speech” has allowed hateful individuals back onto X and is practically paying them to say awful things (The Guardian).
The Guardian had more to say about Musk’s idea of free speech: “Musk’s commitment to free speech is jaw-droppingly unconvincing: he used it to reject Brazil’s demands, yet readily acceded to Narendra Modi’s demands in India, and suspended hundreds of accounts linked to farmers’ protests there in February this year. ‘Things like free speech are instruments to Musk, rather than principles,’ Mulhall says.”
Musk has contributed greatly to space travel through his company SpaceX. SpaceX has made strides in private space travel. According to the SpaceX website they are the “only private company capable of returning a spacecraft from low-Earth orbit”.
But SpaceX does have its flaws: “Elon Musk’s SpaceX violated environmental regulations in releasing pollutants into or nearby bodies of water in Texas, a state environmental agency said in a notice last week.” (CNBC) and “Reuters documented at least 600 previously unreported workplace injuries at Musk’s rocket company: crushed limbs, amputations, electrocutions, head and eye wounds and one death. SpaceX employees say they’re paying the price for the billionaire’s push to colonize space at breakneck speed.” (Reuters).
Bad Bunny
If unfamiliar, Bad Bunny is a Puerto Rican musician, named artist of the year in 2022 by Apple Music (AP News). After Tony Hinchcliffe’s comments about Puerto Rico, Bad Bunny put his support behind Vice President Harris.
It was difficult to find anything negative about Bad Bunny. All I could find was supposedly throwing a fan’s phone in the ocean after they “jumped in front of him for a selfie” (USA TODAY) but he denies it.
Bad Bunny has an impressive commitment to activism: “‘I am going to do what is within my reach to [work]against [violence against women]. … My message shouldn’t be a feminist message. It’s a universal message…” Bad Bunny also has done work related to LGBTQ+ community and gender based violence. (Glimpse from the Globe, funded by the University of Southern California’s Department of Political Science and International Relations)
Bad Bunny is also a voice for the Puerto Rican people: Bad Bunny dedicated his song “Estamos Bien” to those affected by the hurricane, “becoming the anthem for locals” (Glimpse of the Globe)“The song marks a response to the underfunding and neglect from the Trump administration and the Federal Emergency Management Agency that contributed to Puerto Ricans suffering under blackouts, lack of clean water and complications of food distribution.” (Glimpse of the Globe).
Ariana Grande
Ariana Grande is a singer, songwriter and actor. She has publicly shown her support for Harris.
After looking to find something negative about Grande all I could find were tabloid-y stories. During breakups with partners, Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater were rumored to be dating. Some thought the breakups were related to the new relationship while some pointed out that those that already dislike Grande may be using it as an excuse (USA TODAY).
According to Look To The Stars, Grande has contributed to the following charities: “Cancer Research Institute, Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, Entertainment Industry Foundation, Make-A-Wish Foundation, Melanoma Research Alliance, PETA, Red Cross, Ryan Seacrest Foundation, Stand Up To Cancer, St. Jude Children’s”.
Grande is also a champion for feminism, supported by her quotes such as this one from ELLE India: “I am tired of living in a world where women are mostly referred to as a man’s past, present or future property or possession. I do not belong to anyone but myself. And neither do you. I can’t wait to live in a world where people are not valued by who they’re dating, married, attached to, seen with but by their value as an individual.”
Bill Gates
Bill Gates is the billionaire co-founder of Microsoft. He is also a founder of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, an organization dedicated to giving everyone a “healthy and productive life”. Despite not publicly endorsing a candidate he donated $50 million to an organization that supports Harris’s campaign (The Guardian). He has also privately said he is worried about another Trump presidency (The Guardian).
The main negative Points I could find on Gates is the predatory nature of Microsoft and his involvement with Jeffrey Epstein. At the time Epstein was operating under the guise of philanthropy, trying to get billionaires to sign contracts – hence his meetings with Gates (Rolling Stone). Those involved relayed it purely as business meetings. In the Rolling Stone article, Gates relays that he assumed it was a matter of billions of dollars going to those in need. The two collaborated on a global health fund until Epstein started to ask for a cut, sparking suspicion and causing Gates to pull out of the deal. His involvement with Epstein based on this information was non-incriminating, but any involvement definitely warrants research.
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has spent “$58 billion since 2000” (Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation). I found the official website very comprehensive and in-depth. Because of the help of the Foundation, wild polio is now only found in Afghanistan and Pakistan (Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation). The amount of information on what the Foundation is working to help with is too immense to put in this article, it’s worth a look.
If you are old enough to vote make sure you go out and do it! Every vote matters. Please check out our other readings on the election and our two candidates.
