Kamala Harris with Beyoncé at the DNC? Yes, but only through the loudspeakers
The Democratic National Convention has come to an end, and Kamala Harris has accepted the nomination to run for president in November’s election.
The DNC has been a star-studded event for the Democrats – with everyone from Spike Lee and Stevie Wonder to Common, Oprah Winfrey and Julia Louis-Dreyfus making their way to Chicago to support Harris.
However, the final night yesterday evening was lacking one rumoured guest: despite chatter about a potential spot, Beyoncé's only appearance was over the loudspeakers.
For days, there were rumors of appearances by music mega-stars Taylor Swift or Beyoncé, whose song ‘Freedom’ has been adopted by the Vice President as a campaign theme.
“If she's not, they better come up with something,” said NBC News' Savannah Guthrie.
Rumors were spreading online to the point where Mitt Romney, the 2012 Republican presidential nominee, posted on X: “Contrary to false news posts, I am not the surprise guest at the DNC tonight. My guess is that it will be Beyoncé or Taylor Swift. So disappointing, I know!”
Emmy Ruiz, the White House director of political strategy and outreach, apparently posted a bee emoji on her X account earlier in the day. Was it a signal to the "Bey-hive"? She quickly wrote, “Sorry guys my 6 year old took my phone.”
In the end, the Hollywood Reporter posted a story about a half hour before Harris took the stage — with ‘Freedom’ playing through the sound system — quoting a representative for the singer saying: “Beyoncé was never scheduled to be there. The report of a performance is untrue.”
The ending of the DNC was one of the most traditional moments of the convention: the candidate, her running mate and their families bathed in the cheers of supporters, with balloons floating from the rafters.
Maybe that was a good thing, as if Beyoncé or Taylor Swift did show up, their presence would have potentially overshadowed the Democratic presidential candidate on the biggest night of her professional life.
As a reminder, neither Beyoncé nor Taylor Swift have officially endorsed Harris yet, but there are indications that their support could be imminent.
Last night, Harris spoke for 37 minutes – constrasting with opponent Donald Trump, who accepted the GOP nomination last month with a 92-minute speech that ended past midnight Eastern time.
Trump, meanwhile, kept up a running commentary on his Truth Social account as Harris spoke. “A lot of talk about childhood, we've got to get to the Border, Inflation and Crime!” he rage posted.
Elsewhere, Beyoncé has reportedly threatened Donald Trump’s campaign with legal action for its unauthorized use of her song ‘Freedom’ in a social media video, days after the singer approved the song as the official anthem for Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign.
According to Rolling Stone, the singer’s record label has issued a cease-and-desist letter to the Trump campaign after the former President’s spokesperson Steven Cheung posted a now-deleted video on X of Trump stepping off an airplane with the song ‘Freedom’ playing the background.
Trump is notorious for using music at his campaign rallies without the artists’ permission. Everyone from Tom Petty, Neil Young, The Rolling Stones via Adele, Bruce Springsteen and Sinead O'Connor has issued the politician with cease-and-desist orders.
Just last week, Isaac Hayes’ estate sued him for 134 counts of copywright infringement, and this month, both French artist Woodkid and Céline Dion called out the unauthorized uses of their songs at Trump’s rallies.
