According to exit polls by the Associated Press, 51% of voters ages 18-29 supported Kamala Harris in the 2024 election. In contrast, only 46% supported Donald Trump. The perception that younger voters don’t usually participate in elections made the youth a key audience for Trump and Kamala Harris’ campaign. Both campaigns utilized musicians, social media and celebrity influence to draw in voters.
Equipped with a Beyonce hit song, support from the Howard Divine Nine and an empowering message, Kamala Harris garnered 69 million popular votes and 226 Electoral College votes, proving that music and cultural awareness can mobilize a generation. The candidates’ debates over reproductive rights, such as abortion, comprehensive immigration reform and racial/ethnic inequality through economic equity, dominated the 2024 presidential election.
On July 30, 2024, rapper Megan Thee Stallion appeared at a rally hosted by Kamala Harris at the Georgia State University Convocation Center. Megan Thee Stallion performed clean versions of her songs including, “Girls in the Hood,” “Mamushi,” “Savage” and “Body.”
The Grammy-award-winning rapper performed “Body” after voicing her support for Harris.
“Now I know my ladies in the crowd love they body, and if you want to keep loving your body, you know who to vote for,” said Megan.
While using Ms.Thee Stallion to engage youth voters sparked mixed opinions, her appearance highlighted voting and reproductive rights; this aligned with her body-positive brand, exemplifying how artists can use their platforms to bring awareness to such issues. Harris’ campaign focused on providing safe and accessible reproductive health care, including abortion and in vitro fertilization (IVF).
Beyonce’s “Freedom” explores empowerment, resilience and social justice themes. Harris’ decision to use “Freedom” as her official campaign song resonated with marginalized groups, reflecting shared frustration over the erosion of their rights. The song’s message aligned with Harris’ with a push for women to have the freedom to do what they want with their bodies and for members of the LGBT+ community to live free from targeted hate crimes. Presidential candidate Trump also included cultural and musical elements within his campaign.
Outside of music in her official campaign, Harris received public endorsement from a few superstars. Taylor Swift was one of them, taking to social media, where she has 283 million followers on Instagram, to advocate for Harris.
“I’m voting for Kamala Harris because she fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them,” Swift said in an Instagram post. “I think she is a steady-handed, gifted leader and I believe we can accomplish so much more in this country if we are led by calm and not chaos.”
Charli XCX also endorsed Harris in a more subtle and yet, very impactful post on X. With almost 62 million views, the post reads:
“kamala IS brat.”
Enough said.
Although Harris donned endorsements from some of the biggest stars in the music industry, she was not shy to make memorable moments of her own, between her love of Venn diagrams and the resurgence of clips of her asking, “You think you just fell out of a coconut tree?”
Trump evoked a sense of community and nostalgia amongst his followers by featuring songs like “Y.M.C.A” by The Village People and “Ave Maria” in his campaign. Trump’s decision to include “Y.M.C.A” emphasizes the difference in the two candidates’ demographics. The song appealed to older audiences and highlighted Trump’s focus on this age group. At the same time, “Ave Maria,” a piece associated with religious ceremonies, resonated with religious voters. By including this song, Trump reinforced and aligned himself with conservative and faith-based values, a core element of the Republic Party’s platform.
After Trump’s Twitter ban, his 2024 campaign relied more heavily on traditional campaign methods like rallies, which increased coverage on conservative media outlets like Fox News.
At a Trump rally held on Oct. 28 at Madison Square Garden, comedian Tony Hinchcliffe made discriminatory jokes about Puerto Rico, which sparked a backlash on social media platforms from progressive voter groups.
Hinchcliffe’s comments highlighted Trump’s strategic use of humor in his campaign methods. Trump is known for making bold and provocative jokes, often deemed “politically incorrect.” Hinchcliffe’s appearance and remarks resonated with some Trump supporters who feel relegated to more passive roles in political free speech.
Trump’s inclusion of comedians, celebrities and public figures, reflected his rejection of traditional campaigns, a strategy accepted in more conservative circles. While some considered Hinchcliffe’s satirical performance offensive, others saw it as a way to challenge the idea of “political correctness,” and it helped rally Trump’s supporters and reinforced his pro-free speech stance.
Apart from the rally stages, Trump made a few guest appearances on other internet shows, such as appearing on The Joe Rogan Experience and Twitch streamer Adin Ross’ livestream.
An unexpected moment in Trump’s campaign that cemented his stardom was the assassination attempt in Pennsylvania. Although at the moment, there was a legitimate threat to the current president-elect’s life, the pictures that captured it were astonishing.
Regardless of the severity of it, the pictures of Trump’s fist rising into the air, with blood on his face, and in the middle of several secret servicemen boosted his campaign, likely being the reason why he won Pennsylvania.
In contrast to Harris’ engagement on social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok, which took a more inclusive tone, Trump’s rallies and media coverage focused on being critical and appealed to older voters.
On Wednesday, Harris delivered her concession speech and urged voters not to be discouraged by the election results. As she exited the stage, her official campaign song, Beyonce’s “Freedom,” played. Even in defeat, the message of empowerment and the call for social justice still resonated with her supporters.
Both Trump and Kamala’s campaigns highlighted the importance of music and culture in modern political campaigns.
