In an exclusive interview with Forbes, the billionaire rapper says he’s “walking for president” as GOP operatives work to get him on state ballots.
Amid various reports that Republican and Trump-affiliated political operatives are trying to get Kanye West onto various state ballots for November’s presidential election, the billionaire rapper indicated that he was, in fact, running to siphon votes from the presumptive Democratic nominee, Joe Biden.
When asked about that directly, West said that rather than running for president, he was “walking,” quickly adding that he was “walking . . . to win.”
At least six operatives who have been prominently involved in the Republican political world have been linked to Kanye West's 2020 presidential bid. https://t.co/GnA8wBvwzl
— ABC News (@ABC) August 7, 2020
When it was pointed out that he actually can’t win in 2020—that he won’t be on enough ballots to yield 270 electoral votes, and that a write-in campaign isn’t feasible—and thus was serving as a spoiler, West replied: “I’m not going to argue with you. Jesus is King,” according to Forbes.
West rebuffed various attempts to clarify who was driving his ballot access or strategy and whether it’s being coordinated by or with Republican-affiliated officials. He does, however, appear to have a continuing relationship with the Trump White House. West says that he’s “designing a school within the next month” and that “I’m meeting with Betsy DeVos about the post-Covid curriculum.”
“I like Kanye very much,” President Trump told reporters at the White House yesterday. “No, I have nothing to do with him getting on the ballot. We’ll have to see what happens.”
The liberal media has gone crazy over Kanye’s intentions. West’s intentions have come under increased scrutiny this week, following reports by CNN, New York, the New York Times and others, about efforts by GOP political operatives to get him onto several ballots, including states like Wisconsin that could be pivotal in deciding the next president.
Republicans are helping Kanye West get on the US presidential ballot in some key states, in what could be a bid to take black votes away from Democratic candidate Joe Biden https://t.co/WKuDtN9QoJ
— Sky News (@SkyNews) August 7, 2020
West has been a vocal Trump supporter, including visiting the president in the Oval Office. West’s recent actions have also drawn public focus, given his bipolar disorder—and many, including his wife, Kim Kardashian-West, have expressed concern about his mental health.
Kanye West was eager to criticize Biden, and expressed comfort with the idea of doing damage to the former vice president’s White House chances. “I’m not denying it; I just told you.”