Why is it important for Hollywood celebrities to come out against Trump?
Last Updated: 02.07.2025 00:24
"This video of celebs pleading with the Electoral College is why Hillary Clinton lost," the newspaper's website proclaimed
What's more, this election has taken a swipe at the so-called liberal elite - and nowhere is the elite more liberal than in Hollywood.
The argument put forward in the Unite for America clip is simple - Mr Trump is not fit to be president of the United States, and therefore members of the Electoral College should block his entry to the White House.
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"You stick to pretending to be somebody else," wrote one. "Nobody gives the rear end of a rodent what you and your pampered friends think."
So with a backlash against celebrities, it seems highly unlikely their doom-laden words will sway Republican electors on Sunday.
"Our founding fathers built the Electoral College to safeguard the American people from the dangers of a demagogue and to ensure that the presidency only goes to someone who is, to an eminent degree, endowed with the requisite qualifications," Sheen explains in the video.
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Another tweeted: "Y'all prove one thing. being a so-called educated intellectual doesn't mean you have common sense."
Mr Trump, the celebrities continue, is not "highly qualified for the job" - and therefore the electors could, and should, prevent him from taking office.
Mrs Clinton did have a lot of celebrity supporters - on election night, actress Lena Dunham, singer Lady Gaga and comedian Amy Schumer were all in New York to support the Democrat they hoped would become the first female US leader.
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There is, of course, one huge irony in all of this: Mr Trump has, arguably, only been elected to the highest office in the land because he is a celebrity.
Celebrity power
They had all been vociferous campaigners for Mrs Clinton, as had Beyonce, whose plea to fans to vote for Mrs Clinton has had 2.4 million views to date.
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Actors Martin Sheen and Debra Messing are joined by a host of other celebrities - including musician Moby - to ask Republican electors to not cast their vote for President-elect Donald Trump on 19 December.
It is the latest stance taken by celebrities against Mr Trump's impending leadership. Others have been less direct - designers refusing to dress future First Lady Melania Trump, or rejecting offers to sing at the inauguration.
In stark contrast to his predecessor Barack Obama, only one A-list celebrity - has publicly endorsed Mr Trump since his election.
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Indeed, a study of possible voters in Ohio by professors Melissa Miller and David Jackson, both of Bowling Green State University, found that celebrity endorsements are potentially the opposite of helpful.
Meanwhile, a meme mused whether celebrities were more upset about the election result, of "finding out people don't give a **** about their opinions".
But in reality, how much does any of this matter - and how effective is such a direct plea to a group of Republicans?
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Writing in Mr Jackson revealed: "None of the celebrities [given as possible endorsers in the study] showed a net positive effect, and four of them showed double-digit net negative effects."
In theory, the Electoral College could do this: It would take 37 Republican electors to vote for someone other than Mr Trump - thereby taking the party under the 270-vote threshold necessary for victory - to technically block his path to the White House.
Oprah Winfrey may be credited with playing a major role in Barack Obama's 2008 election, but a quick glance at the response on Twitter to the Unite for America video shows there is no appetite for the 1% to lecture the majority on how they should vote.
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In comparison, Mr Trump failed to attract any huge stars to support his campaign.
Yet Mr Trump won - suggesting celebrity endorsements do not have huge sway over voters.
And despite the odd tweet praising them for being a "glimmer of hope in an era of hopelessness", even fellow liberals have questioned the point of such a video.