By Kristine Pascual, Nov. 5, 2024
As the United States prepares for a deeply polarized election today, candidates Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are using music as a driving force in the political atmosphere.
In the 2024 election cycle, music from various genres played a significant role. Republicans like Trump and Ron DeSantis, have used songs like “Born in the USA” and gospel music to evoke patriotism and connect with religious voters. Trump often plays a James Brown song, “It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World,” an obvious dig at not only Harris but her vice-presidential candidate, Tim Walz, too. Trump’s team often refers to Walz as “Tampon Tim,” derived from a mischaracterization of a Minnesotan law that requires period products to be provided in restrooms. In contrast, Kamala Harris uses more modern and contemporary music, including hip-hop, to appeal to younger millennial and Gen Z voters.
Assistant Professor Jarred Cuellar of the political science department noted music is used in campaigns in an attempt to connect with voter interests.
“Historically, music has been used as a mobilizer within elections, meaning music has been used to try and get people to resonate with the campaign,” Cuellar said. “It’s usually a simple way for candidates to try and relate with their voters to feel that there’s some type of similarity there.”
During Trump’s town hall in Philadelphia Oct. 14, rather than continuing to accept questions, Trump played music.
“Let’s not do any more questions,” Trump said. “Let’s just listen to music. Let’s make it into music. Who the hell wants to hear questions, right?”
For the next 39 minutes, Trump danced to a playlist of music including Guns ‘N Roses, Sinead O’Connor and Village People.
According to Cuellar, Trump uses music as a tactic to try and touch the hearts of Republican voters, attempting to make a connection with them. This election season, Trump has been opening his rallies coming in with gospel-sounding music blaring in the background.
Cuellar attended the Iowa caucuses with political science students. Cuellar noted the use of religious-sounding music and how many of Trump’s rallies appear more like a “church service,” rather than a political rally.
“The music frames Trump as somebody who is more connected with the Christian religion,” Cuellar said. A lot of evangelicals will say he’s the chosen one from God or that God chose him to lead and, by utilizing this religious music, is playing up that framing of him being morally or religiously superior to the candidate in comparison.”
Trump has strategically curated his playlists to include classic rock anthems that evoke feelings of nostalgia and resilience among older Republican voters. Even back in 2016, Trump was using the song, “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” by The Rolling Stones, exploiting the song’s themes of perseverance to resonate with his Republican voters.
The Stone’s 1969 song’s chorus repeats the phrase “You can’t always get what you want” three times. University of California, San Diego Ph.D. candidate Peter Sloan mentioned Trump’s use of the tune.
“(Trump) was using that song as a middle finger to doubters in the media who hated him,” Sloan said. “When he won the election in 2016, he came down to give his acceptance speech to this song like, ‘Screw you. Sorry I won.’ Across the political spectrum, whether we love them or hate them, campaigners use music as part of their campaign.”
Other popular song choices of Trump’s include “Eye of the Tiger” by Survivor and “Born to Run” by Bruce Springsteen, who has been vocally critical of Trump. According to Sloan, Trump uses Springsteen’s song to evoke a sense of American grit and determination.
Trump’s team has also faced criticism for using songs without permission, leading to clashes with artists like Celine Dion and Adele. However, this controversy often feeds into the narrative of Trump as a candidate who challenges the norms, further feeding into the excitement in his supporters.
At Trump’s rallies, the music functions as more than just entertainment or background noise. The loud music creates an energizing atmosphere charged with feelings of community, reinforcing a sense of collective identity among Republicans. The imagery at these events — supporters singing along, waving flags and engaging in chants — enhances the emotional experience, making it feel more like a movement rather than a political campaign.
Alternatively, Harris can be seen leaning toward the use of modern music, most notably Charli XCX’s “brat” album. Shortly after President Joe Biden stepped down from presidential candidacy, Charli XCX showed support for Harris and tweeted “Kamala IS brat.” Soon after, Harris’s campaign team rebranded their campaign account to reflect the “brat” album cover, except with “kamala hq” on the lime green photo rather than “brat.”
Politicians often select specific songs to embody their campaign themes. Harris’s campaign prominently features Beyoncé’s “Freedom,” leveraging its powerful message to evoke feelings of liberation and hope. This creates an emotional backdrop at rallies, reinforcing the campaign’s core message.
“Freedom / Where are you? / ‘Cause I need freedom, too / I break chains all by myself / Won’t let my freedom rot in hell,” Beyoncé sings.
Visual communication design student Chris Johnson noted the power Beyoncé has, not only in her music, but in her endorsement in Harris. Beyoncé attended Harris’s Houston rally, not as a celebrity, but as a “politician” and a “mother.”
“I think it goes deeper than just the music,” Johnson said. “Beyoncé has lots of motifs and messages ingrained in her music, and her songs deeply appeal to a vast audience. There’s intersectionality with Beyoncé, she brings Black women and Black culture up to the mainstream, as well as idealism within the Democratic party.”
Similar to Johnson’s opinion, Sloan added that music intensifies a voter’s emotional experience.
“It’s not just the meaning of the text,” Sloan said. “It’s actually the music itself that has a functional role to play in the campaign. A big part of it creates an emotional experience. Music touches our emotions. It arouses deep feelings that go beyond what language can express. Music plays this really important role in our lives, important moments in our lives.”
Johnson explained why Beyoncé endorsing Harris was huge, as well as the weight and importance of it.
“One of the major aspects of relatability that politicians lack is humanity and vulnerability,” Johnson said. “Someone like Beyoncé, who has a massive following showing decisively that she supports Harris, it eases the mind of those who are unsure about who to vote for based on character.”
Other artists who have publicly endorsed Harris include Taylor Swift, Megan Thee Stallion, Lil Jon and Stevie Wonder. Latino artists like Bad Bunny and Ricky Martin endorsed Harris after Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally where comedian Tony Hinchcliffe referred to Puerto Rico as a “floating island of garbage.”
“There’s something about music that really brings it all together,” Sloan said. “It helps you form a glue that gives you a single, cohesive, integrated experience that is more memorable. Music does that, and it forms solidarity with a group.
Feature image courtesy of Teresa Acosta
