Do celebrity endorsements influence elections?
In France, football star Kylian Mbappe warned that the formation of a government by the extreme right would have “catastrophic” consequences. In the USA, actor George Clooney is calling on President Joe Biden to resign.
LONDON – Football boss Kylian Mbappe may have failed to lead France to victory at the 2024 European Championships, but has he scored a personal political victory in his attempt to thwart the far right’s path to government?
Ahead of the first round of National Assembly elections last month, Mbappe had urged France’s young voters to reject extremism. His message did not stop the Rassemblement National, Marine Le Pen’s anti-immigrant party, from winning a third of all votes cast, putting it well on its way to forming a government.
Faced with the advance of Le Pen’s far-right cohort, Mbappe decided it was time to take a more direct approach ahead of the second round of voting on July 7.
“We cannot put our country in the hands of these people, it is really urgent,” the 25-year-old said during a press conference in Germany two days before polls opened. “We saw the results of the first round, it is catastrophic. We really hope that this changes and that everyone mobilizes to vote … and vote for the right side.”
Mbappe was unable to achieve the desired result at the European Championships. Les Bleus were eliminated in the semi-finals on Tuesday after a 2-1 defeat to Spain. However, he is likely to have been far more satisfied with the result of the second round of the parliamentary elections.
The Rassemblement National was pushed into third place as tactical voters threw their weight behind the New Popular Front, a left-wing coalition, and President Emmanuel Macron’s second-placed centrist Together alliance, resulting in a parliament without a clear majority.
In the US, actor George Clooney made headlines on Wednesday when he called on President Joe Biden to withdraw from the race against former President Donald Trump.
In an op-ed for the New York Times, Clooney expressed fears that the 81-year-old Democratic president was ill.
“This is not just my opinion; this is the opinion of every senator, congressman and governor I have spoken to privately,” Clooney wrote.
“It’s devastating to have to say this, but the Joe Biden I was with at the fundraiser three weeks ago was not the Joe ‘Big F-ing Deal’ Biden of 2010,” Clooney wrote. “He wasn’t even the Joe Biden of 2020. He was the same man we all saw at the debate.”
Celebrity endorsement is common in the US and is becoming increasingly mainstream in the UK too.
Love Actually and Notting Hill star Hugh Grant spent the 2019 general election campaigning for anti-Brexit groups, while Robert Del Naja of British trip-hop group Massive Attack voiced his support for Green Party leader Carla Denyer, who was successfully elected to Parliament in last week’s national vote.
In a culture where would-be politicians must try to drown out the everyday noise of competing interests, Josephine Harmon, assistant professor of political science at Northeastern University in London, says endorsements from well-known figures “can add a dash of gold dust to a politician’s status.”
“I think it helps them seem more human and more popular,” Harmon says. “Ultimately, that’s the point of politics, and I think it can give politicians a boost when people associate them with a popular celebrity.”
Celebrities and other so-called “influencers” can also increase the appeal of politicians during election campaigns with their huge social media following and their ability to make headlines.
“In 2020, Taylor Swift spoke out in favor of (US President) Joe Biden and during the election, (American rapper) Cardi B did a lot with Bernie Sanders,” says Harmon.
“It’s clearly a way to reach a younger audience that might not otherwise be interested in politics. If you suddenly see it in your social media feed or on TikTok or wherever and see that your favorite celebrity has done an interview or had a conversation with a politician, that politician is much more likely to resonate just by reaching people’s attention spans.”
Harmon highlights former President Barack Obama’s success in building ties with Hollywood. He was considered a “star-studded president” who created a “symbiosis between himself and the glamour of celebrity,” and his advocates included megastars Beyoncé and Clooney.
Tony Blair also took up the “Cool Britannia” theme of the 1990s during his time as British Prime Minister, says Harmon, by inviting the rock band Oasis to Downing Street, among others.
But what impact do celebrity interventions have on politics? Marianna Griffini, an expert on populism at Northeastern University, says Mbappe’s anti-right stance probably had an impact in the French elections, without being a decisive factor.
“I think it is unlikely that Mbappe’s strong condemnation of Le Pen and the explicit political positioning of the entire national team influenced the election,” says the assistant professor of international relations and anthropology.
“Football teams undoubtedly have enormous appeal and, as a result, influence on the public. There have been notable incidents where players from football teams and representatives of far-right parties have attacked each other due to political differences on issues of ethnic identity and integration. However, these incidents have not determined the future direction of politics.
“Mbappe has raised concerns about the nativism of the Rassemblement National (policies that pit national interests against pro-immigration arguments), which may have had some influence on the vote, but not a decisive one. More relevant factors determined the outcome, including possibly concerns about nativism and economic conditions,” says Griffini.
Le Pen was not happy with Mbappe’s intervention, portraying him and other celebrities as out of touch with the French people because of their international lifestyles and high salaries. This summer, Mbappe moved from Paris Saint Germain to Real Madrid. According to a BBC report, he earns 15 million euros ($16.2 million) per season, plus a signing bonus of 150 million euros ($162 million) paid over five years.
“The French are tired of being lectured and told how to vote,” Le Pen said in response to the player’s comments, calling on celebrities and other stars to “exercise a little restraint” in the election campaign.
Griffini believes that the Rassemblement National and Le Pen attacked Mbappe, even though she herself grew up in a wealthy political family. Their aim is to portray him as “part of the economic elite”.
“This could appeal to voters who dislike the huge salaries of footballers, even if they are just one of many elites targeted by the far right,” says the London-based professor.
Some sports stars and red carpet regulars may not feel able to speak out the way Mbappe could, Harmon argues, because they risk losing sponsorships or other career-related contracts.
“In this case, Mbappe is a big star. He doesn’t have to worry about his own contracts with the companies he works with. They will never drop him, whereas another footballer might not have that kind of buy or that kind of attraction,” says Harmon.
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