In France, soccer star Kylian Mbappe warned that the far right in government in France would be “disastrous”. In the US, actor George Clooney is calling on President Joe Biden to resign.
LONDON — Soccer great Kylian Mbappe may not have been able to propel France to victory at Euro 2024, but did he score a personal political victory by trying to derail the far-right's run to government?
Ahead of the first round of voting in last month's National Assembly elections, Mbappe had urged France's young voters to reject extremism. His message did not prevent the National Rally, Marine Le Pen's anti-immigration party, from securing a third of all votes, putting it on course to form a government.
With Le Pen's far-right team on the way, Mbappe decided it was time for a more direct approach ahead of the second round of voting on July 7.
“We can't leave our country in the hands of these people, it's really urgent,” the 25-year-old said he said during a press conference in Germany two days before the polls opened. “We saw the results of the first round, it's devastating. We really hope that this will change and that everyone will mobilize to vote… and vote the right side.”
Mbappe didn't get the result he wanted at the Euros, with Les Bleus crumbling after losing 2-1 to Spain in Tuesday's semi-final. However, the result of the second round of parliamentary elections would probably be much more satisfactory for him.
It was a National Rally dropped to third place as regular voters rallied behind the New Popular Front, a left-wing coalition, and the second centrist alliance with President Emmanuel Macron, in a result that produced a hung parliament.
In the United States, actor George Clooney made headlines on Wednesday when he called the President Joe Biden step aside in his race against former President Donald Trump.
In a New York Times guest op-ed, Clooney raised fears that the 81-year-old Democratic president is ill.
“This is not just my opinion. that's the opinion of every senator and congressman and governor I've spoken to privately,” Clooney wrote.
“It's devastating to say, but the Joe Biden I was with three weeks ago at the fundraiser was not the Joe Biden of 2010,” Clooney wrote. “He wasn't even the Joe Biden of 2020. He was the same man we all saw in the debate.”
Celebrity endorsements are common in the US and becoming mainstream in the UK as well.
'Love, Actually' and 'Notting Hill' star Hugh Grant has passed the 2019 general election campaigning for anti-Brexit candidateswhile Robert Del Naja from the British trip-hop group Massive Attack expressed support in support of Green Party leader Carla Denyer in her successful bid to be elected as an MP in last week's national vote.
In a culture where would-be lawmakers must try to shout above the daily noise of competing interests, Josephine Harmonassistant professor of political science at Northeastern University in London, says endorsements from popular celebrities can “add some gold dust to a politician's status.”
“I think it helps them seem humanized and popular,” says Harmon. “At the end of the day, that's what politics is about, and I think it can give politicians a boost if people associate them with a favored personality.”
Celebrities and other so-called “influencers,” with their massive social media followings and ability to generate headlines, can also broaden the reach of politicians who drag it on the campaign trail.
“In 2020, Taylor Swift came out For [U.S. President] Joe Biden and during the election [American rapper] Cardi B did a lot with Bernie Sanders,” says Harmon.
“This can clearly reach a younger audience that may not otherwise follow politics. “If you suddenly see it on your social media feed or TikTok or wherever, and you see that your favorite celebrity has done an interview or had a conversation with a politician, that politician is much more likely to gain traction just by with this entrance to the public wide attention.'
Harmon highlights how former President Barack Obama was effective in developing relationships with Hollywood, as he was seen as a “very starry-eyed president” who created a “symbiosis between the personal and the celebrity pizza”, with the big stars. Beyonce and Clooney among those who will defend him.
Tony Blair, when he was UK prime minister, also played into the 'Cool Britannia' theme of the 90s, Harmon says, inviting the likes of rock band Oasis to Downing Street.
But how influential are celebrity interventions in politics? Marianna Griffinan expert on populism at Northeastern University, said Mbappe's anti-far-right sentiments would likely have an impact without being a decisive factor in the French election.
“I think it is unlikely that Papé's decisive condemnation of Le Pen, and the explicit political positioning of the wider national group, affected the election,” says the assistant professor of international relations and anthropology.
“Certainly, football teams have a huge appeal and thus have an influence on the public. There have been notable incidents of football players and representatives of far-right parties attacking each other over political disagreements over issues related to national identity and integration. However, these cases did not dictate future policy directions.
“Bappé has expressed concerns about the nativism of the National Rally [a policy of pitting national interests against pro-migration arguments], which may have had some impact on the election, but not a decisive one. More relevant factors determined the outcome, among which may have been concerns about nativism and economic conditions,” says Griffini.
Le Pen was none too pleased with Mbappe's intervention, painting him and other celebrities as out of touch with the French population because of their international lifestyles and huge salaries. This summer, Bape moved from Paris Saint-Germain to Real Madrid, with a BBC report suggesting he will earn €15 million ($16.2 million) a season, plus a €150 million ($162 million) signing bonus to be paid over five years.
“The French are tired of being lectured and advised on how to vote,” Le Pen saidin response to the player's comments, calling on celebrities and other stars to “show some restraint” during election campaigns.
Griffini says the National Rally and Le Pen, despite her own upbringing in a wealthy political family, mounted an attack on Mbappe designed to portray him as “part of an economic elite”.
“This may appeal to voters who resent the giant salaries of footballers, even if it is just one of many elites targeted by the far right,” says the London-based professor.
Some sports stars and red carpet regulars may not feel able to speak out the way Mbappe could, Harmon argues, because of the risk of losing sponsorship or other career-related deals.
“In this case, Mbappe is a huge star. He doesn't have to worry about his own deals with whatever companies he's working with. They're never going to let him go, whereas another football player might not have that kind of market or that kind of pull,” says Harmon.
