Kanye West sets out his 2020 election platform

Rapper Kanye West has signaled that he no longer supports U.S. President Donald Trump and said he had entered the presidential race to win it, in an interview published on Wednesday.

West, previously a vocal supporter of Trump, announced on Saturday that he would run for president in 2020.

‘I am taking the red hat off, with this interview,’ West said, referring to Trump’s trademark red ‘Make America Great Again’ baseball caps.

‘Like anything I’ve ever done in my life, I’m doing to win’, he added.

Kanye West announced on Independence Day that he is running for president of the United States, just four months before election day. 

The rapper made it clear in Tuesday’s interview with Forbes that he has broken ranks with the president and would either run as a Republican if Trump dropped out, or as an independent if not. 

West revealed that he would run under a new banner, the Birthday Party, because ‘when we win, it’s everybody’s birthday,’ he reasoned. 

He added that he would receive guidance from Elon Musk and obscure vice presidential candidate Michelle Tidball, a preacher from Wyoming.  

West, who initially intended to run in 2024, said he would definitely be making a bid for power this November. 

West denied that his aim was to split the black vote and hurt the chances of Trump’s Democratic opponent, Joe Biden. It was ‘a form of racism and white supremacy’ to suggest all black people should support the Democrats, he said. 

He noted during the interview that he had never voted before in his life and said he believes that vaccines are the ‘mark of the beast.’

The rapper told Forbes he had been ill with COVID-19 in February, and would be suspicious of any vaccines developed to prevent the infection. 

Repeating false theories that link vaccines with child developmental disorders, he said: ‘So when they say the way we’re going to fix COVID is with a vaccine, I’m extremely cautious.’ 

Also in the four-hour interview, West said he envisions a White House management model based on the secret country of Wakanda in the film Black Panther.  

West recalled the moment it occurred to him that he would run for president, saying he was in the shower at his mother-in-law’s house after being offered the MTV Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Awards. 

‘I was like this is the best, I’m going to go out there and they’re going to think I’m going to do these songs and do this for entertainment, how rigged awards shows are, and then say I’m president,’ he told Forbes.

He added that he ‘started laughing hysterically’ and that was the ‘moment it hit [him].’ 

During an interview in the Oval Office on Tuesday, Trump said that West’s 2020 candidacy would make a ‘great trial run’ before making a bid for the White House in 2024. 

‘It’s very interesting,’ Trump said. 

‘It’d have to be limited to certain states because in some states the deadline has been missed.’ 

Among the highlights of the interview with Kanye West were: 

• On Democrats: West said that he had been threatened as a black man to support the Democrats or his music career would be over. He added that this was the reason why he had been too ‘scared’ to register to vote before now. He said there is a form of ‘racism’, ‘white supremacy’ and ‘white control’ that says all black people need to be Democrat.
• On why he supported Trump: The rapper said Trump is a president who allows God to be part of the conversation. He said he wore the MAGA hat to protest the segregation of votes in the black community.
• On abortion: West said that his belief in God and the words of the bible have led him to be pro-life. 
• On vaccines: He referred to vaccines as the ‘mark of the beast’ and said he was skeptical when scientists say they will treat Covid-19 with a vaccine. He continued that ‘they want to put chips inside of us, they want to do all kinds of things, to make it where we can’t cross the gates of heaven.’ 
• On coronavirus: West said he was praying and that the virus was related to God, suggesting humans need to stop doing things that make God mad. 
• On the moment he decided to run for president: He said he was in the shower when it hit him that he would run for president. ‘I just laughed in the shower, I don’t know for how long, but that’s the moment it hit me.’
• On his foreign policy: The rapper admitted that he had not yet developed a foreign policy and he would concentrate on America first. 
• On the Wakanda management model: West referred to the film Black Panther to outline his election platform, saying the Wakanda framework was the best to describe what he would do in the White House. He added: ‘You got Kanye West, one of the most powerful humans—I’m not saying the most because you got a lot of alien level superpowers and it’s only collectively that we can set it free.’

The 21-time Grammy winner celebrated Independence Day by revealing his plans to run for presidency on Twitter, tweeting Saturday: ‘We must now realize the promise of America by trusting God, unifying our vision and building our future. I am running for president of the United States! #2020VISION.’

The rapper has sparked speculation over the years that he would potentially enter the presidential race one day, most recently in November, when he said he planned to run in 2024. 

West’s announcement was met with with mixed reactions of skepticism and excitement, as online bookmakers cut his odds of winning the election from 500/1 to 50/1. 

The new odds indicate his implied probability of winning the election has increased from 0.2 percent to two percent. 

West’s odds are still well behind those of the two current frontrunners, with incumbent Republican President Donald Trump at seven to four and presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden at eight to 11, according to OddsChecker.com. 

While there is no official deadline to enter the presidential race, candidates must meet certain filing requirements under Ballot Access Laws that vary by state. 

The deadline to add independent candidates to the ballot has not yet passed in many states, including California. 

Saturday’s announcement, which came amid Fourth of July celebrations and protests across the country, immediately caused a stir on social media. 

Eccentric billionaire Elon Musk was among the first to endorse the rapper and sparked rumors that he could be Ye’s running mate after replying: ‘You have my full support!’ 

Last week West visited the Tesla founder and posted a photo on Twitter from their possible meeting of minds.

Several fans replied to the announcement, proposing: ‘and can @elonmusk be your VP?’ 

Wife Kim Kardashian had little to say immediately after the news broke, but showed her support for her husband by tweeting an American Flag emoji in response. 

Kanye’s tweet was met mostly with skepticism, one user referencing his infamous snub of Taylor Swift at the 2009 VMAs: ‘Imma let you finish but no.’ 

‘Is this a ploy to try and get trump re-elected,’ another follower wrote, accusing him to try and split the vote in Trump’s favor.  

Some theorized the move could be just a publicity stunt to help promote a new line of shoes or an upcoming album.

‘I feverishly hope [that] this just a publicity stunt for new album because … No! Don’t you dare 2020, don’t even think about it, you’ve done enough for one year …Kanye stay home,’ one user said. 

West did not provide further details on his campaign or his party affiliation with his announcement, both he and Musk have thrown their support behind Trump in the past. 

Back in May, Musk thanked Trump for suggesting on Twitter that the Tesla plant in California should be allowed to remain open amid the COVID-19 pandemic.   

In October 2018, Kanye infamously revealed his support for Donald Trump following a bizarre Twitter rant that sparked concerns for the rapper’s mental state.

Soon after, he paid a visit to Donald Trump himself at the White House, wearing the president’s trademark MAGA hat and delivered a rambling, profanity-laden speech in which he discussed alternate universes and his diagnosis of bipolar disorder, which he said was actually sleep deprivation. 

Speaking to a crowd of reporters in the Oval Office he said the hat was like a Superman cape and said that Trump made him a billionaire.  

Kanye also joked about running for president in 2024 during the visit – an idea he would later confirm during an appearance at the annual Fast Company Innovation Festival in New York City last November.

West had been promoting his new line of biodegradable shoes at the event before casually mentioning to the crowd he was running for president in 2024, prompting laughter from the audience. 

Reality star-turned-activist Kim Kardashian West would be no stranger to the White House either, having met with President Trump on more than one occasion lobbying for criminal justice reform. 

Kim appeared to endorse her husband’s claim he was running for the presidency but retweeting his post with an emoji of the US flag.