Celebrities will play a huge role between now and the United States election in November, as endorsements for Kamala Harris roll in and Republicans attempt to paint Democrats as cosied up with the rich, elite and famous.

Taylor Swift’s endorsement may have been a massive coup for Harris, but JD Vance, the Republican vice presidential candidate, has taken aim at the relationship between Harris’s campaign.

“I don’t think most Americans, whether they are fans of hers or not, are gonna be influenced by a billionaire celebrity,” Vance said in an interview with Fox News.

“I think (Swift) is fundamentally disconnected from the interests and the problems of most Americans.”

Hollywood A-listers and popular entertainers, including Jennifer Lawrence, Oprah Winfrey, Bill Nye and Mark Hamill, have joined Taylor Swift in endorsing the Harris-Walz campaign.

Dr Andrew Hughes, an expert in political branding at Australian National University, said Vance’s attempt to paint Swift and other celebrity endorsers as Hollywood elites could have an effect on the race.

“You may be seen as a celebrity, but you are a very wealthy individual: Taylor Swift flies around on a private jet,” he said.

“Tell me any other political campaign that uses someone who flies in a private jet to endorse a political party that likes to associate with the working class?”

Branding

Across the aisle, Trump has the support of pro-wrestling superstar Hulk Hogan, musician Kid Rock, billionaire Elon Musk and UFC president Dana White.

Dr Emma Shortis, a senior researcher at the Australia Institute, said the endorsements show the divide between the two candidates.

“Generally speaking, Trump has a very white space of celebrity endorsements, but it is also true that Democrats have been more closely aligned with Hollywood and the arts,” she said.

“It is also clear that it bothers Trump more than previous Republican candidates.”

Recently, Shazam! actor Zachary Levi gave Trump a glowing review at an event he hosted for the Republican candidate.

Hughes said Trump also has an advantage in branding because he became a household name before entering politics.

“Donald Trump himself is a celebrity running for office. He didn’t come through the party system and he didn’t do his time at a state level,” he said.

“Part of the reason he has been so resilient as a brand against all these accusations is because people’s first contact with him wasn’t as a politician.”

Donald Trump entered the 2016 presidential election as a household name. Photo: Getty

He said the Republican candidate’s embrace of Robert F Kennedy Jr has shown the grey area between a celebrity and a high-profile person.

“He is a Kennedy, the family in American politics, but with Democrats in particular,” Hughes said.

“He has promised him secretary of health when he’s out there spreading anti-vaxx messages, but Trump is smart and knows the celebrity factor.”

Pushback

Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign, which she lost to Trump by the slimmest of margins, was also beloved by entertainers and celebrities, but the host of endorsements failed to resonate beyond her base in key swing states.

Shortis said Trump successfully associated Clinton with elites to voters, despite his gilded upbringing.

“It’s just not as effective for Trump as it has been in the past because when he was campaigning in 2016, he was using the slogan drain the swamp,” she said.

“He didn’t drain the swamp, but what he did do was reduce taxes for the incredibly wealthy in the United States.”

Singer Chappell Roan came under intense scrutiny after she questioned “the left’s completely transphobic and completely genocidal views“, resulting in her cancelling several live performances.

The singer later confirmed she would vote for Harris despite refusing to endorse her.