Kanye West has announced that he intends to run for president of the United States. The rapper and entrepreneur, husband of Kim Kardashian, made the announcement on Twitter yesterday evening but as of yet lacks any concrete details. Indeed, many states have already closed their selection processes meaning that he may not even be legally allowed on the ballot in much of the US.
He wrote on the post:
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
— ye (@kanyewest) July 5, 2020
Fellow entrepreneur Elon Musk responded by tweeting out his endorsement for Kanye soon after.
You have my full support!
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 5, 2020
Kanye West has long been seen as a supporter of Donald Trump, much to the dismay of many in his fanbase. Soon after Trump was elected, he announced his support for the president to a crowd during a live concert that responded mostly with boos and hisses.
Both he and his wife have since used their influence to have a number of non-violent criminals released from prison and have met with the president at the White House on a number of occasions.
If Kanye was to run, he could either attempt to gain the Republican or Democrat nomination, however as their candidates, Trump and Biden are essentially guaranteed he would, therefore, have to run as a third-party or ask voters to 'write-him-in' on ballot slips.
While it is unlikely he would win, this doesn't mean that his running could not be highly influential. In many US states in 2016, the winner was decided by a razor tight number of votes and so any votes going to West could tip the balance in favour of one of the major candidates.
In 2000 expected Democratic voters voting Green (they only won 2.7% of the vote) took the presidency from Al Gore and delivered it to George W. Bush. Other big name third parties have included billionaire Ross Perot in 1992, who gained over 18%, far-right white supremacist George Wallace who took 13% of the vote and even won 6 states outright in 1968, and Socialist Eugene Debs who won 6% of the vote in 1912.
Kanye had stated in 2018 when discussing the 400 years of slavery of African-American people that it was a 'choice'. He said:
"When you hear about slavery for 400 years ... For 400 years? That sounds like a choice. You were there for 400 years and it's all of y'all. It's like we're mentally imprisoned."
The rapper suffered a mental breakdown in 2016, which led to his hospitalisation. Some have suggested that he suffers from an underlying narcissistic or grandiose personality disorder or has an ongoing mental condition, leading to his erratic comments; including:
"Whoa by 50 percent [I am more influential than] Stanley Kubrick, Apostle Paul, Picasso… f****** Picasso and Escobar. By 50 per cent more influential than any other human being."
"I am God's vessel. But my greatest pain in life is that I will never be able to see myself perform live."
And:
"I feel like I'm too busy writing history to read it."
After he famously announced that he does not read books.
While it is not unheard of for celebrities to reach high-public office in the US, including Ronald Reagan and Arnold Schwarzenegger (and some would include Trump in this list) it is uncertain as to whether Kanye West could make a serious run for the highest office in the world.
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