Kanye West Tweets that He’s Running for President in 2020
On Independence Day, music superstar Kanye West tweeted that he will run for president in the 2020 election.
The 43-year old rapper has previously been vocal in his support of President Trump, but would now be running against him and Democratic nominee Joe Biden.
“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!” he wrote alongside the hashtag #2020VISION.
This isn’t a complete surprise, actually — at the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards, West said he would be running in the 2020 election during his speech for the Vanguard Award. Additionally, he had also set his sights on the 2024 election, telling Power 92 Chicago’s DJ Pharris in 2018.
With four months away to the 2020 election, there are a few bumps in the road this late in the game: the deadline to add independent candidates to the ballot has already passed in a few states.
Although many people on Twitter greeted the announcement with skepticism, not among them was SpaceX CEO and chief executive of Tesla, Elon Musk, who tweeted in response: “You have my full support!”
Of course, speculation mounted over West’s possible motives: is this just another publicity stunt for the famously controversial artist? Was he trying to steal voters from Joe Biden in an effort to secure Trump’s reelection?
West’s own website bore no information about a presidential run at the time of his announcement. Neither did his Instagram account. It remains unclear if he has completed the official paperwork necessary to make this bid.
The Grammy-winning rapper is one of the most acclaimed musicians of his generation, selling over 140 million records worldwide. He has released ten albums since 2004 and is married to reality star Kim Kardashian, whom he has four children with.