Kamala Harris’s failed presidential campaign threw around more cash than a Hollywood production company, with the latest report revealing a cool $1 million payment to Oprah’s Harpo Productions. Yes, that’s right, while American families struggle with inflation, the Harris team thought the best investment was a million-dollar check to Oprah for a “star-studded” town hall in September. Oprah even graced Harris’s final rally in Philadelphia with her “rare” endorsement, talking about “values and integrity”—two things that Harris’s campaign seemed to forget in this spending frenzy.
And Oprah wasn’t the only one cashing in. Harris’s campaign dropped a jaw-dropping six figures just to build a set for an interview on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast.
Yep, this was Harris’s big play—wooing swing voters by sitting down in a hotel room with Alex Cooper to chat about who knows what. As if that wasn’t enough, they poured an unbelievable $20 million into swing-state concerts. They trotted out Bon Jovi in Detroit, Christina Aguilera in Vegas, Katy Perry in Pittsburgh, and Lady Gaga in Philadelphia—trying to win votes with a music lineup better suited for a Super Bowl halftime show than a campaign for the presidency.
Meanwhile, Harris’s campaign seemed to ignore the basics of what makes a candidate appealing to Americans—policies and values that actually resonate. Republican strategist Brad Todd summed it up perfectly: “Money can’t buy you love or a good candidate.” Throwing millions into glitzy concerts and high-profile endorsements won’t do much when the candidate can’t break free from an administration that, frankly, most Americans find more than a little disappointing.
It’s no surprise that Harris failed to connect with voters. Flashy spending and Hollywood endorsements might excite Democrats, but it’s not fooling anyone else. Americans are looking for leaders who stand on their own two feet, not ones who need million-dollar paychecks to Oprah and A-list celebrities to hold them up. This wasn’t a campaign; it was a publicity stunt gone wrong. If there’s a silver lining here, it’s that the people saw through the show, and Donald Trump was right again about the hollowness of these manufactured candidates. In 2024, it turns out, substance won over style.
