The Kamala Harris Campaign Will Be Soundtracked by Beyoncé
It’s been four days since Kamala Harris announced her candidacy in the 2024 presidential election, and already she’s raised a staggering $126 million, racked up countless endorsements, and advocated for abortion rights on the campaign trail. On Thursday, the Harris for President campaign dropped its official ad, set to Beyoncé’s 2016 song “Freedom.”
“In this election, we each face a question: What kind of country do we want to live in?” Harris asks in the ad. “There are some people who think we should be a country of chaos. Of fear. Of hate,” she says as images of Donald Trump and his running mate J.D. Vance flash across the screen. Her supporters chant her name and she talks about the priorities of her campaign. “We choose freedom. The freedom not just to get by, but get ahead. The freedom to be safe from gun violence. The freedom to make decisions about your own body. We choose a future where no child lives in poverty, where we can all afford health care.” As Trump’s mug shot flashes across the screen, she adds, “Where no one is above the law.”
BREAKING: The Kamala Harris campaign just released their first ad. Retweet to make sure every American knows who Kamala Harris is and what is at stake this November. pic.twitter.com/d55aNDbYNZ
— Kamala’s Wins (@harris_wins) July 25, 2024
Per CNN, Harris’s team got clearance to use the song, whose original version features Kendrick Lamar, from Beyoncé on Monday, hours before Harris first walked out to it at a campaign event in Delaware. “Freedom” — a track from Beyoncé’s sixth album, Lemonade — references racism, police brutality, and slavery, and in it, Beyoncé sings about breaking chains and not giving up. In 2020, the song was played and sung by activists protesting police brutality in the wake of George Floyd’s death.
Although Beyoncé hasn’t endorsed a candidate in the 2024 presidential race, fans have interpreted her giving Harris permission to use the song as a sign of her approval. Meanwhile, Beyoncé’s mother, Tina Knowles, isn’t being shy about her support for Harris. She posted a photo with the vice-president to Instagram on Sunday, writing, “New, Youthful, Sharp, energy!!!!” and “Go Vice President Kamala Harris for President.”
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