What might a 'Yeezy' White House look like? The philosophy of Kanye West
Theories suggest rapper's announcement could siphon Democrat votes to help Donald Trump's chances
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.After rapper Kanye West announced he is running for US president in 2020, there was trepidation and bewilderment.
The artist has toyed with running for office before, announcing in 2015 he planned to run in 2020. But West appeared to postpone his political career to 2024 after meeting Donald Trump, for whom he has been an outspoken supporter.
The Yeezy fashion chain founder has come under fire for his avid support for Trump, who he previously said he would vote for in November.
It is unclear if West has filed official paperwork as an independent candidate to appear on state election ballots, and it is too late to do so in some states, including New York.
However, many are already wondering what the White House could look like under the control of another celebrity. Guesses at who West might choose as a vice president have ranged from Tesla founder Elon Musk, who tweeted his support, to pro-Trump activist Candace Owens, to actor Terry Crews.
If West were to become the next US president, it would mean his equally-famous wife Kim Kardashian-West would become First Lady. She has visited the White House as an activist pushing for criminal justice reform and said last year she is studying to become a criminal justice lawyer.
Beyond that, it is unclear exactly what West stands for — despite a long history of comments on racial politics.
In 2014, West said racism “is a dated concept” that is “not an actual thing that even means anything."
“It’s like a bouncing ball in a room with two cats, or something, when you don’t feel like playing with a cat. Let them literally fight over the bouncing ball. And the bouncing ball has nothing, no purpose, anything other than that: it bounces,” he explained.
He also previously suggested African-American slavery was “a choice," and tweeted in 2018: “You don’t have to agree with Trump but the mob can’t make me not love him. We are both dragon energy. He is my brother. I love everyone."
West’s relationship with Trump has produced some results. The president pardoned a 63-year-old woman serving a life sentence for cocaine trafficking following an appeal by Kardashian-West in 2018.
The following year, West revealed he worked closely with Trump to secure the release of rapper A$AP Rocky, who was detained in Sweden after an alleged assault.
It is still unclear how serious he is about running, and so far the only candidate in the Federal Election Commission (FEC) with West’s name is a Green Party candidate named “West, Kanye Deez Nutz”.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments