The Trump administration tried to recruit Billie Eilish for a COVID-19 ad campaign even though she said he is destroying the US

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  • A series of newly leaked documents show the Trump administration's efforts to recruit A-list celebrities, including Billie Eilish, for a coronavirus ad campaign.

  • According to the Washington Post, a Trump administration official injected "partisan political interests" into the campaign in an effort to support President Donald Trump.

  • Eilish's notes in a document detailing the celebrities considered for the campaign read: "Made a political statement on gun control in 2019; will be a first time voter in 2020; not a Trump supporter, stated he 'is destroying our country and everything we care about.'"

  • Other celebrities, including Jennifer Lopez and director Judd Apatow, were also noted to support anti-Republican agendas.

  • The Washington Post reported that only 10 celebrities — out of hundreds — were ultimately approved to participate in the campaign, which may not air at all.

  • Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

Billie Eilish was among hundreds of celebrities approached by the Trump administration for a coronavirus ad campaign, a series of documents leaked to Politico and the Washington Post show.

On Thursday, the Post reported that the Trump administration had planned to roll out a public health campaign featuring numerous celebrities to help "defeat despair and inspire hope" amid the pandemic.

But, in what appeared to be a move designed to support President Donald Trump ahead of Election Day, a top Trump administration official inserted "partisan political interests" into the $250 million advertising contract by disqualifying certain stars based on their political affiliations.

The documents included a "PSA Celebrity Tracker," published by Politico, which listed hundreds of celebrities, whether they had accepted the ad proposal, notes about their political affiliations, and their demographic.

Notably, Eilish's notes read: "Made a political statement on gun control in 2019; will be a first time voter in 2020; not a Trump supporter, stated he 'is destroying our country and everything we care about.'"

Meanwhile, her demographic was listed as "general population" and "super spreaders."

Eilish's quote was taken from her speech at the Democratic National Convention in August, which decried Trump and his handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

"You don't need me to tell you things are a mess," Eilish said. "Donald Trump is destroying our country and everything we care about. We need leaders who will solve problems like climate change and COVID, not deny them. Leaders who will fight against systemic racism and inequality."

Eilish continued: "And that starts by voting for someone who understands how much is at stake. Someone who's building a team that shares our values. It starts with voting against Donald Trump and for Joe Biden. Silence is not an option, and we cannot sit this one out."

The singer subsequently shared her recorded message to Twitter, and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden also reshared it.

The Post reported that of at least 247 celebrities that were approached only 10 were apparently approved: Dennis Quaid, Marc Anthony, Enrique Iglesias, Billy Ray Cyrus, Miranda Lambert, Garth Brooks, Dwyane Wade, Dr. Oz, CeCe Winans, and Shulem Lemmer.

While most are listed as "pending," at least 22 performers are listed as "declined," including Selena Gomez, Dwayne Johnson, and Sandra Oh.

Representatives for Eilish and the Trump administration did not respond to Insider's requests for comment.

This article previously cited the Washington Post, which attributed the quote about "destroying our country" to Trump officials. It has now been corrected to reflect that Trump officials were quoting Eilish who made the comments about Trump.

Read the original article on Insider