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Kanye West has long teased the possibility of running for US President, but in a new tweet, the rapper finally made the announcement: he’s running in the 2020 election.
Posted on Independence Day in the US (July 4), West said, “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!” along with the hashtag #2020VISION.
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
Though the filing deadline for presidential candidates has passed in several states, West has the public backing of at least one prominent figure: Elon Musk.
“You have my full support,” Musk tweeted.
You have my full support!
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 5, 2020
On July 2, West shared a photo of the two men side by side with a caption “When you go to your boys house and you’re both wearing orange”.
The response to the presidential campaign tweet has been swift, though many of West’s followers are divided by the announcement.
— Karli Q
(@KarluskaP) July 5, 2020
and can @elonmusk be your VP? pic.twitter.com/VOGv4gxjeT
— SΛINT (@saint) July 5, 2020
He must have a new album coming and wants free publicity
— Bobo (@BoboBrazil3) July 5, 2020
President West > President Not West
— Watching the Throne (@KanyePodcast) July 5, 2020
Kanye West and Elon Musk are treating the most consequential election of our lifetime as a joke – consequences their money will shield them from.
We’re sick of being trolled by oversized egos.
Step up in a meaningful way to help us defeat Trump or sit down quietly.#2020Vision pic.twitter.com/LQcErOydB2
— Ahmed Baba (@AhmedBaba_) July 5, 2020
In 2019, West confirmed his intent to run for the presidency in 2024 at a surprise appearance at the annual Fast Company Innovation Festival in New York.
“When I run for President in 2024,” West began telling told Yeezy footwear designer Steven Smith before the audience began laughing.
“What y’all laughing at?” West said. “We would create so many jobs! I’m not going to run, I’m going to walk.
“When you see headlines saying Kanye’s crazy – one in three African Americans are in jail and all the celebrities are in jail also because they can’t say nothing, they got no opinion, they’re so scared!”
In 2015, when West first announced his interest in running this year, Taylor Swift and rapper Ice Cube publicly backed West’s ambitions for the presidency.
While Swift offered to be West’s running mate, after hinting at a political team-up between the pair, Cube didn’t have the same interest. “I’m voting for Kanye, who is better than Kanye that would run?” he said.
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