Kanye West hints at presidency run amid pro-Donald Trump tweets

RAPPER Kanye West has again indicated he would run for US President, with analysts warning that — as the rapper’s ‘mate’ Donald Trump proved in 2016 — anything can happen.

HOURS after he committed that most egregious of sins in the resolutely blue state of California and outed himself as a Donald Trump supporter, rapper Kanye West doubled down.

Despite losing several prominent social media followers and drawing the ire of much of liberal America with a series of positive posts about the tweeter-in-chief this week, Kanye — also known as Mr Kim Kardashian — was pictured rocking a red trucker cap emblazoned with the Trump campaign slogan of “Make America Great Again”.

“You don’t have to agree with trump but the mob can’t make me not love him,” West had tweeted on Wednesday.

“We are both dragon energy. He is my brother. I love everyone. I don’t agree with everything anyone does. That’s what makes us individuals. And we have the right to independent thought.”

MORE: Kanye posts private texts with John Legend

MORE: Kardashian sisters unfollow Kanye West on Twitter

Then-President-elect Donald Trump and Kanye West pose for a picture in the lobby of Trump Tower in New York in 2016. Picture: AP Photo/Seth Wenig

But what was lost in the backlash against Kanye for daring to voice an unpopular opinion was the fact that he also once again indicated he may be planning his own tilt at the presidency.

It says a lot about the state of American politics that an attention-seeking musician/fashion designer who married into the world’s most insta-famous family could possibly consider himself a viable candidate for the highest job in the land.

Before his Trump tweets last week, Kanye had briefly posted a tweet with campaign-style posters showing a portrait of his face with the slogan “Keep America Great” with the hashtag “#Kanye2024”.

It came after several provocative posts from the artist, including one in support of conservative black commentator Candace Owens, who drew criticism for calling Blake Lives Matter protesters “a bunch of whiny toddlers, pretending to be oppressed for attention”.

Kanye responded in a tweet: “I love the way Candace Owens thinks”.

Among the prominent black artists who unfollowed Kanye on twitter in the fallout are Rihanna, The Weeknd, Nikki Minaj, Drake and Kendrick Lamar.

Trump lapping up his support from Kanye. Picture: Donald Trump/Twitter

Kanye West’s tweet about Obama. Picture: Kanye West/Twitter

Kim Kardashian defending her husband. Picture: Kim Kardashian/Twitter

Many even questioned his sanity, prompting wife Kim Kardashian to tweet: “To the media trying to demonise my husband let me just say this ... your commentary on Kanye being erratic & his tweets being disturbing is actually scary. So quick to label him as having mental health issues for just being himself when he has always been expressive is not fair”.

But with 29.6 million other twitter followers and loud conservative support — including a “Thank you Kanye, very cool!” from President Trump — the musician was unbowed, continuing to argue against what he called groupthink.

Whether or not Kanye West could conceivably be a potential successor to Donald Trump depends on many things, not least whether or not his latest mutterings are more about publicising his various business endeavours, upcoming albums and the Yeezy fashion line, than a genuine sense of civil duty.

But, as anyone with even a bare understanding of the seismic forces that underpinned Trump’s 2016 election win can attest, almost anything is possible in America.

This is certainly not the first time Kanye, who has publicly stoushed with then president, George W Bush, on the US government’s response to Hurricane Katrina, has pondered such a career move.

Kanye West leaves a music studio wearing a ''Make America Great Again" hat following his recent Tweets on President Trump. Picture: Backgrid

He first publicly made his pitch at the MTV Music Awards in 2015, saying he had decided to campaign in 2020.

Kanye told Vanity Fair that the fallout from him storming the stage in 2009 at the Video Music Awards and trying to give Taylor Swift’s award to Beyonce, who he felt deserved it more, had made him reassess his potential.

Describing himself as “probably the most honest celebrity that we have”, he said he that whenever he had “gotten in trouble, he was really jumping in front of a bullet for someone else”.

A year later, he told the BBC: “When I talk about the idea of being president, I’m not saying I have any political views”.

“I don’t have views on politics, I just have a view on humanity, on people, on the truth. If there is anything that I can do with my time and my day, to somehow make a difference while I’m alive I’m going to try to do it.”

Being a household name means Kanye will have overcome one of the first big hurdles for any political aspirant in modern America, according to Associate Professor Rebecca Dean from the Department of Political Science at University of Texas at Arlington.

2024

— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) April 25, 2018

“There has always been this tension between our wanting a super hero figure, larger than life, able to accomplish the impossible person and our desire to be able to relate to our president — whether he’s ‘likeable’,” Prof Deen told News Corp Australia.

“I would say that the celebrity angle fits into the first narrative.

“On a more practical level, getting through the nomination process in our presidential election system requires that a person have a strong base of support — both financial and electoral. Some of that is name recognition and developing a coalition that supports you — a “fan base” if you will. Celebrities don’t have the hurdle of the getting-to-know-you stage and perhaps the fundraising part (though that varies).”

While Kanye is not the first celebrity to ponder a run at politics, he may well be the least qualified, says Professor John Pitney from Claremont McKenna College in California.

“Other US celebrities have run for office, of course, but they had a more plausible claim to qualification,” Prof Pitney said.

pic.twitter.com/KzyHlDaywt

— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) April 25, 2018

“Trump never held public office, but he did have decades of experience in business, and had conducted complex transactions overseas. Of course, he greatly exaggerated his wealth and engaged in shady dealings that may still put him into legal jeopardy, but voters nevertheless got the impression that he could run a big organisation.

“Before running for governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger had been involved in politics for 15 years, had chaired a presidential commission, had sponsored a successful ballot measure on after-school education and had run a number of businesses.

“Despite some flamboyant gestures, he governed as a moderate and was reasonably successful — until a national financial crisis created huge fiscal problems for California. Any other governor would have had the same problems.

“Kanye West has not been involved in politics in any serious way — he did not even vote in 2016 — and his business record is mixed at best.”

Kim Kardashian has fiercely defended her husband during his tirade. Picture: Evan Agostini/Invision/AP

Prof Pitney also cast doubt on Kanye’s motivation, saying his “political talk appears to be about attention and publicity, not a serious plan to run for the presidency”.

Which side Kanye would campaign for is another open question. While he has loudly criticised Barack Obama, he says he loves Hillary Clinton.

“It is hard to picture Democrats taking him seriously as a candidate,” says Prof Pitney.

“If they really want a celebrity, Oprah Winfrey would make a lot more sense.

“If he became a born-again economic conservative, touting tax cuts and budget cuts, some Republicans might consider him. But in doing so, he would lose his music audience.

“Right now, his audience probably overlooks his pro-Trump attitude as passing eccentricity. If he got serious about it, however, his fans would desert him.”

Certainly Kanye’s outspoken support of the president has seen him gather a whole new set of fans, whom he now shares with Mr Trump. The Trump 2020 campaign was yesterday even trying to fundraise off the back of Kanye’s tweets.

“The American people do not want to be told what to think or who to support,” Mr Trump’s team texted to supporters yesterday.

“Group think is a mandate in today’s society and when a free thinker like Kanye West speaks truth, they attack him.

“We support Kanye speaking his mind, even if sometimes we do not agree on the issues. Do not let them silence you. Get your red MAGA hat today.”