President Joe Biden has withdrawn from the 2024 general election and has endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris. In the aftermath of this decision, Harris begins her campaign as the Democratic presidential candidate in style.
Kamala Harris Arrives at her Campaign Headquarters
On Monday, July 22, 2024, Harris made a grand entrance at her campaign headquarters to Beyoncé’s “Freedom.” According to a Harris spokesperson, the vice president’s team had requested permission from Beyoncé before proceeding to use the song.
On the evening of Monday, July 22, 2024, Harris left her campaign headquarters to the lyrics of “Freedom playing. Harris had exited to the lyrics “Freedom / Where are you? / Because I, too, need freedom / I free myself from restraints / I refuse to let my freedom perish in hell / Hey! I’m going to keep going because a winner never gives up on himself.”
Beyonce Grant’s Approval
The source also disclosed that through Beyoncé’s representatives, Harris has been approved to use the track through her 2024 presidential campaign. Additionally, the source stated that they were given quick approval, even though the request for permission came a few hours before the Harris event. This came as a surprise, as Beyoncé is known for the strict clearance guidelines she maintains around her songs.
It’s important to know that Beyoncé has not officially endorsed Harris as president since Biden made his announcement. However, it can be interpreted that Beyoncé’s approval of the song “Freedom” translated to her supporting Harris. That remains to be said, as neither the Beyoncé representative nor the Harris campaign have made any official comment.
Beyoncé’s History with Democrats
Interestingly enough, Tina Knowles, Beyoncé’s mother, declared her support for Harris on Sunday, July 21, 2024, shortly after Biden’s announcement. Knowles posted a picture of herself and Harris to her Instagram account with the caption “New, Youthful, Sharp, Energy!” “Putting personal Ego, power, and fame aside. That is the definition of a great leader. Thank you, President Biden, for your service and your leadership. Go Vice President Kamala Harris for President. Let’s Go”
This is nothing new, given Beyoncé’s history of endorsing Democratic candidates. At the re-inauguration ceremony of President Barack Obama in 2013, Beyoncé sang the National Anthem.
During Hillary Clinton’s electoral campaign in 2016, Beyoncé and her husband Jay-Z headlined a pre-election concert in Cleveland, Ohio. During Beyoncé’s performance at Clinton’s pre-election concert, her backup dancers appeared in blue pantsuits to honor Clinton.
When asked about her decision after her performance, Beyoncé stated that she wants her daughter to grow up seeing a woman lead the country. Additionally, Beyoncé said that she was with Clinton so that her daughter could know that her possibilities were limitless.
Beyoncé endorsed the Biden-Harris ticket in 2020, taking to her Instagram to encourage her followers.
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Freedom
For her sixth studio album Lemonade, released in 2016, Beyoncé recorded the song “Freedom,” featuring American rapper Kendrick Lamar. Beyoncé wrote the song along with Jonny Coffer, Carla Marie Williams, Dean McIntosh, and Kendrick Lamar. Freedom was co-produced by Beyoncé, Coffer, and seasoned hip-hop record producer Just Blaze.
“Freedom” was able to make an appearance on some music charts after its debut. On the Billboard Hot 100, it peaked at number 35 in the US and 40 in the UK. The music video for the song was part of an hour-long HBO original film that has the same name as the parent album.
Beyoncé gave a live performance of the song at the 2016 BET Awards and as part of the setlist for The Formation World Tour. The 2017 Grammy Awards nominated it for Best Rap/Sung Performance. Subsequently, the song saw commercial success in 2020 after it became the most used song during the George Floyd demonstrations.
Kamala Harris Campaign
On Tuesday, July 23, 2024, Harris began her campaign trail tour after President Biden’s Sunday, July 21, 2024, endorsement. Harris will visit Milwaukee, Wisconsin, a Republican battleground city, just days after Republicans nominated their presidential and vice presidential candidates. On Wednesday, July 17, 2024, Donald Trump and Senator JD Vance were nominated by the Republican Party.
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Additionally, according to Harris’ campaign, since Biden dropped out and endorsed Harris, his political operation has raised over $100 million. The campaign had originally reported raising $81 million in the days following Mr. Biden’s withdrawal. As far as Team Harris is concerned, it was the biggest 24-hour fundraising effort in presidential history.
Over 888,000 grassroots donors made contributions in just one day, according to the campaign, and for 60% of them, it was their first payment of the 2024 election cycle. “Win with Black Women” hosted a call that generated $1.6 million in revenue on its own, according to Team Harris. As to the campaign, over 1.1 million distinct donors contributed $100 million, with 62% of them being first-time contributors.
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