Meghan McCain asks why Oprah Winfrey didn't endorse Harris 'for free' amid differing campaign fee reports

WASHINGTON, DC: Meghan McCain, blogger and daughter of former US Senator John McCain, took to the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to inquire why Oprah Winfrey was paid a million dollars to campaign for the Democratic nominee Kamala Harris ahead of the 2024 general election.

According to a report published by The New York Times on Sunday, November 17, Winfrey's company Harpo Productions was paid the amount "to stage a live-streamed town hall in Detroit, providing the set, lights, cameras, microphones, crew, producers and even the chairs."

The media mogul denied taking any personal fee, claiming that "the people who worked on that production needed to be paid. And were. End of story.”

While multiple websites reported Harpo being paid $1 million, NYT claimed that the amount "undercounts the full cost of the event," which insider sources stated "ran closer to $2.5 million."

Meghan McCain's tweet calling out Oprah Winfrey

Meghan McCain questioned why Winfrey needed to be paid for hosting a campaign event for Harris, as the latter was a billionaire herself. She also pointed out the "deep rot" in American celebrity culture that allowed for such expenditure of campaign funds.

"I’m going to say this again - why didn’t Oprah do this for free and give the money to people in need or a food bank? Why did she have to be paid to endorse Harris? And why would she be worth this $$$?" she tweeted on Sunday, November 17. "There is a deep rot in American celebrity and campaign money."

In a follow-up post, McCain noted, "I'm not the generation that hero worships Oprah so can someone explain to me why she was so essential to Harris that they paid her 2.5 million to show up and endorse? And exactly what DNC data showed she sways voters in this era?"

Conservatives back Meghan McCain's disapproval

Netizens, especially conservatives reacting to McCain's post on X slammed the Harris campaign for paying Oprah's company. The following tweets demonstrate their takes.

"They were just throwing money at everybody. Ended up in debt. That’s how the country would have been run had she won," wrote a user.

"Every dime Kamala spent on celebs & influencers was to attract the exact same audience. She kept spending and spending over and over only to get the same voter she already had," shared another.

"Just a straight-up bad decision. Oprah swayed exactly no voters," jibed a third.

"Oprah’s influence is way overstated. The DNC wasting $2.5 million on her just shows they’re out of touch," noted a fourth.

"Oprah is the most over-rated so-called 'celebrity' ever. Let this be the end of people thinking her endorsement means anything but a guaranteed loss," chided a fifth.

"This campaign was all Hollywood acting. Nothing real. All were paid to speak on Kamala’s behalf," alleged yet another.

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