Beyoncé endorses Kamala Harris at Texas rally: ‘Time for America to sing a new song’

“It’s time for America to sing a new song,” Beyoncé urged, encouraging voters to turn out.

Although she didn’t perform, Beyoncé’s presence spotlighted Harris’s rally, which centred on abortion restrictions in Republican-led states.

Musical artist Beyonce, right, and Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, left, embrace on stage during a campaign rally Friday, Oct. 25, 2024, in Houston. (AP Photo/Annie Mulligan)

The vice-president, in her address, cautioned that Texas’ near-total abortion ban could become the law of the land if Donald Trump wins the presidency.

Harris warned, “If Donald Trump wins again, he will ban abortion nationwide,” adding weight to her campaign’s “freedom” message, which she has focused on in the final days leading up to the election. The rally marked Harris’ largest crowd so far, with attendees dancing and singing in the Houston heat before the event began, as a DJ played pop hits.

Harris, who walked on to Beyoncé’s anthem ‘Freedom’, argued that a Trump presidency could see hard-won progress reversed—threatening reproductive rights, LGBTQ protections, and democracy itself. Earlier this week, she went as far as to call Trump a “fascist.”

Though speculation suggested Beyoncé might perform, the superstar took to the stage as a mother, not an artist. “We are at the precipice of an incredible shift, the brink of history,” Beyoncé told the enthusiastic crowd.

“I’m not here as a celebrity, I’m not here as a politician. I’m here as a mother,” Beyoncé said.

“A mother who cares deeply about the world my children and all of our children live in, a world where we have the freedom to control our bodies, a world where we’re not divided.”

“Imagine our daughters growing up seeing what’s possible with no ceilings, no limitations,” she continued. “We must vote, and we need you.”

Musical artists Beyonce, right, and Kelly Rowland, left, on stage at a campaign event for Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris in Houston, Friday, Oct. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

At the end, Beyoncé, introduced Harris. “Ladies and gentlemen, please give a big, loud, Texas welcome to the next president of the United States, Vice President Kamala Harris,” she said.

She was joined by her mother, Tina Knowles, and former bandmate Kelly Rowland, who said: “We are grabbing back the pen from those who want to deny our right to make decisions about our own bodies.”

On Friday night, the Harris campaign leveraged star power, with country music legend Willie Nelson performing On the Road Again, while actor Jessica Alba encouraged women to vote. The day before, Harris held a rally in Atlanta with Barack Obama and Bruce Springsteen, who described Trump as an “American tyrant.”

While Harris doesn’t expect to win Texas, Democratic hopes have been lifted as polls show a surprisingly tight Senate race between Republican incumbent Ted Cruz and Democrat Colin Allred.