WASHINGTON – When Robert De Niro appeared in front of a Manhattan court condemn donald trump As his New York bribery trial was winding down, he sparked a “life imitates art” shouting match with a nearby group of the former president’s supporters.
“You are gangsters!” De Nirowho starred in “Goodfellas” and won an Oscar for “The Godfather Part II,” shouted at Trump supporters, who responded with obscenities.
There are still many more Hollywood stories to come in the 2024 campaign: celebrities are increasingly lending his star power for the president Joe Bidenhoping to energize his fans to vote for him in November and motivate donors to pay for his re-election effort.
On Saturday, A-listers George Clooney It is Julia Roberts will join the former president Barack Obama at a fundraiser for Biden in Los Angeles, where the three will be interviewed by the late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel. Roberts and Kimmel have already begun soliciting text message donations for Biden, who is missing weekend peace conference on Ukraine being held in Switzerland to participate in the event.
Director Steven Spielberg is involved in storytelling efforts for the Democratic National Convention In August. Lenny Kravitz, Barbara Streisand It is James Taylor all performed for Biden donors.
Others who have sent fundraising emails, organized events or otherwise lent their support include Connie Britton of “The White Lotus” fame, singer and songwriter carol kingcreator of “Bridgerton” Shonda Rhimessinger Cristina Aguileraactress from “The Equalizer” Queen Latifah and “Star Wars” actor Mark Hamill, who appeared in the White House briefing room last month to personally praise the president.
And, in another case, blurring the lines between real life and make-believe, during a fundraiser at the veteran actor’s home michael douglasBiden, the current president, congratulated the star of the 1996 hit “The American President” on the success of his fictional administration.
For all celebrity supporters, however, there is little expectation that they can determine votes. Instead, they are seen as having the ability to inject enthusiasm that helps energize supporters.
Lexi Underwood, whose credits include the streaming series “Little Fires Everywhere,” calls acting a “contact sport” that allows her to interact with audiences and makes her determined to use her influence responsibly. She participated in a recent “Students for Biden” virtual event and traveled to Nevada to appear at campaign events focused on women’s health issues.
“I’m very lucky to have certain eyes on me,” Underwood, 20, said. “I really feel responsible for making sure that what I put out there, either people are being informed about things that they weren’t previously informed about, or that I’m motivating them to get out there and vote.”
The Biden campaign says its main focus is finding authentic, trustworthy messengers who can promote the president’s political achievements and raise the alarm about Republican Party “extremism,” and that means mobilizing everyday supporters as well as famous people. , a black businessman in Detroit, and women negatively affected by strict abortion limits in Texas.
Fai Nelson, a human resources worker who attended a recent event for Vice President Kamala Harris in Prince George’s County, Maryland, said celebrity voices can make a difference “if they can reach an audience.”
“It’s whether the message is relevant,” Nelson, 42, said.
During the 2020 pandemic-era campaign, Biden’s campaign featured celebrities in dozens of virtual events which showed the importance of remaining flexible so stars can present themselves in their most authentic way.
Adrienne Elrod, who served as Biden’s surrogate director of strategy and operations in 2020, said famous Biden supporters will often “come up with their own ideas” about how to help the campaign and what issues they would like to focus on.
“We’ll often have ideas for them as well,” she said. “That’s why there’s always a very productive working relationship when we involve these people.”
De Niro has taken an increasingly prominent role in Biden’s campaign. Before his confrontation with Trump supporters, the actor held a press conference calling the former president a “clown.” He also attended fundraisers for Biden and narrated a campaign ad accusing Trump of having “freaked out” after losing the 2020 election.
Karoline Leavitt, a spokeswoman for the former president’s campaign, said: “The only people in America who support Joe Biden’s failed campaign are elitist Hollywood celebrities,” adding that Trump “speaks for the forgotten men and women of this country.” .
Trump has his own list of celebrity endorsers, which includes musicians Kid Rock and Ted Nugent, UFC CEO Dana White, media personality Caitlyn Jenner and actors Dennis Quaid and Jon Voight, as well as comedian Roseanne Barr.
Elrod said other stars are eager to follow De Niro’s lead for Biden, but are waiting “until the momentum can really be maximized” before getting involved. She pointed to 2020, when Bruce Springsteen narrated a Biden ad featuring his song “My Hometown” just before the election.
“I think we’ll see more moments like this, when we use these voices strategically and effectively at the time that makes the most sense for us on the campaign trail,” said Elrod, who is a spokesperson for the Biden campaign this cycle.
David Schmid, an English professor at the University at Buffalo who studies popular culture, said celebrities can influence fans’ aspirations and what they consume. But its influence “on people’s voting habits has been really exaggerated,” he said.
That’s the case for Alex Dillion, a rising sophomore at American University in Washington who also attended the Harris event in Maryland. Asked which famous person could influence him politically, Dillion replied: “Maybe Obama.”
Schmid said that a celebrity with outsized political influence can be Taylor SwiftWho sent shockwaves even through the NFL last season. She supported Biden in 2020 and is being openly courted by the campaign, this time on social media, and even in a press release hailing his latest album.
Your touch is no guarantee of victory, however. In 2018, Swift supported two Democratic candidates in Tennessee who lost. And Schmid said that even someone as famous as Swift “knows things are polarizing and doesn’t want to take big risks” regarding controversial candidates and issues.
For all the Biden team’s work with celebrities, the president is still trying to cultivate the image of someone in tune with everyday people.
During a campaign in Saginaw, Michiganthe president visited a public golf course and met with community activist Coleman Hurley III and his son.
“Celebrities who have everything they want and need can be out of reach,” the elder Hurley said later in a phone interview.
As for everyday Americans, Hurley added, Biden needs to be able to “relate to and see where they live… and then talk about some of the different struggles or issues that we, or other Americans, face.”
