With election day just one week away, we’re entering the final stretch of what has been a turbulent and, in many ways, remarkable presidential race. We’ve seen the sitting president step aside, two assassination attempts and a criminal conviction in what both sides of the political spectrum are making out to be a presidential race that will determine the fate of American democracy.
Given the perceived gravity of the election outcome and the degree of polarization of the American public, it’s no surprise that countless celebrities, be it singers, actors, athletes or billionaire businessmen, have weighed in on the race, endorsing either of the two candidates and calling on their fans to do the same. And while some of these public figures have tens, sometimes hundreds of millions of followers on social media, it’s unclear how much of an effect celebrity endorsements actually have.
Honestly, I question the severity of the last column. Did anyone think Taylor Swift wasn't on the left before endorsing Harris? Did anyone doubt where Elon Musk stood before he endorsed Trump?
I'm sure these still negatively impacted the opinions of folks who disagreed with them, but probably didn't make a Democrat start hating Musk then, or a Republican decide to hate Swift's music.
I do agree that they probably don't have much impact, through a 6-16% swing on a political position isn't nothing, either.
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