Rapper Kanye West announced Saturday on Twitter that he is running for President of the United States.
“We must now realize the promise of America by trusting God, unifying our vision and building our future,” West wrote. “I am running for president of the United States! #2020VISION”
Entrepreneur Elon Musk responded by writing: “You have my full support!”
You have my full support!
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 5, 2020
West’s wife, Kim Kardashian West, quote retweeted her husband’s tweet with an American flag emoji.
— Kim Kardashian West (@KimKardashian) July 5, 2020
West has become more political in recent years and has repeatedly met with President Donald Trump.
“A Kanye presidential run has been teased for years,” Politico reported. “He and Kardashian West have worked with Trump on several occasions, including on commuting the sentences of individuals convicted of nonviolent offenses.”
Last year, West repeatedly praised the Republican Party for ending slavery, saying at a church service, “Abraham Lincoln was the Whig Party, that’s the Republican Party that freed the slaves.”
“That’s the Republican Party that freed the slaves,” West continued.
West told GQ Magazine earlier this year that he is definitely voting in the 2020 election.
“And we know who I’m voting on,” West said. “And I’m not going to be told by the people around me and the people that have their agenda that my career is going to be over. Because guess what: I’m still here!”
“Black people are controlled by emotions through the media,” West continued. “The media puts musicians, artists, celebrities, actors in a position to be the face of the race, that really don’t have any power and really are just working for white people. When it’s said like that, it’s kind of obvious, right? We emotionally connect to someone of our color on TV and feel that this person is speaking for us. So let me say this: I am the founder of a $4 billion organization, one of the most Google-searched brands on the planet, and I will not be told who I’m gonna vote on because of my color.”
“Both my parents were freedom fighters, and they used to drink from fountains they were told they couldn’t drink from, and they used to sit in restaurants where they were told they couldn’t eat from,” West said. “They didn’t fight for me to be told by white people which white person I can vote on.”
This story has been updated to include additional information.
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