Kanye West leaves President Donald Trump speechless in surreal White House scene

Kanye West met with President Donald Trump at the White House in a surreal scene that brought gasps and left many speechless at times.

Declaring that his red “MAGA” hat makes him “feel like Superman,” rapper Kanye West made a freestyling appearance in the Oval Office Thursday.

Ahead of a private lunch, President Donald Trump and West spoke with reporters as they sat across from each other at the Resolute desk.

US President Donald Trump meets with rapper Kanye West in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, on October 11. Picture: AFP

Talking loudly and rapidly on everything from Trump’s protectionist trade polices to replacing Air Force One with a hydrogen plane, black gun crime, being married to Kim Kardashian and “infinite amounts of universe,” Kanye left the normally loquacious president nearly speechless.

“That was quite something,” Trump finally said to laughter from astonished senior aides and journalists at the end of the soliloquy, which Kanye punctuated with bangs of his fist on the legendary Resolute desk, used by presidents since the 1880s.

“It was from the soul. I just channelled it,” the musician said, adding — to further gasps — that Trump “might not have expected to have a crazy motherf*cker like Kanye West supporting him.” Trump said Kanye “could very well be” future presidential material, to which the rapper said he would not want to get in the way of the Republican’s 2020 re-election.

“Only after him in 2024,” Kanye said.

“Trump is on his hero’s journey right now.”

Rapper Kanye West shows a picture of a plane on a phone to US President Donald Trump during a meeting at the White House. Picture: Getty Images

West said that many people believe that, if you’re black, you have to be a Democrat and said he was pressured not to wear his red “Make America Great Again” hat. But he said “this hat, it gives me power.” West credited Trump with preventing a war with North Korea and encouraged Trump to swap his usual Air Force One for a hydrogen-powered plane. West also argued that Trump deserved more respect, saying: “if he don’t look good, we don’t look good.”

Kanye West speaks during his meeting with President Trump. Picture: AFP

During a pause in West’s comments, Trump said: “I tell you what that was pretty impressive.” He also described West as a “smart cookie.” The rapper also spoke against stop-and-frisk policing policies, which Trump recently expressed support for. Trump said he was open to other ideas. Trump recently tweeted praise for West, who closed a “Saturday Night Live” show wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat and delivering an unscripted pro-Trump message after the credits rolled.

West is married to reality television star Kim Kardashian West, who pushed Trump to grant a pardon for a drug offender this year.

— AP