A recap of how Kanye West performed this election

Photo courtesy of Super 45, Flickr

 

During the heated battle between President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden for the White House, a third candidate made plenty of buzz on the internet. This candidate is none other than the famous rapper Kanye West. West is no stranger to controversy in the world of politics, having made comments about George W. Bush being a racist, and his support for Trump public. 

Back in 2015 at the MTV Video Music Awards, West announced his plans to run for president in 2020. Whether he meant it or was just way too high at an awards show, the official Democratic National Committee’s Twitter account welcomed him to the race anyway.

What is a Democrat like West to do when welcomed to the presidential race by their political party? Become best friends with the opposition, of course!

Following Donald Trump winning the 2016 presidential election, West began to publicly express his support for the new president. West often sported a “Make America Great Again” hat and had several in-person meetings with Trump to discuss policy and the Black community. Out of respect for Trump, West decided to move his presidential campaign plans to 2024. Trump has also publicly praised West over Twitter for his achievements. Talk about a modern-day bromance. 

This bromance would not last forever, though, with West publicly denouncing Trump due to his actions of hiding in a bunker after protesters flocked to the gates of the White House. With no bromance to withhold, West announced he would be running in the 2020 presidential election on July 4th over Twitter. How patriotic of him. 

In an interview with Forbes, West spilled the beans on his presidential campaign. With his wife Kim Kardashian and philanthropist Elon Musk at his side, West announced he would be running under “The Birthday Party.” While he missed deadlines in many states to appear on their respective ballots, West used COVID-19 as an excuse for handing in late paperwork. Fittingly, West isn’t the only person to use COVID-19 as an excuse for handing in late paperwork, as college students have been using this excuse since March. 

Last week, West posted a video on Twitter of him submitting his ballot. While West voted for himself, that is the only part of the ballot he filled out. Does he know that there are other people and issues on the ballot besides the presidency? Maybe he should have watched one of the millions of voting PSAs on social media. 

Following the election results, West received a grand total of 60,000 votes, appearing on ballots in twelve different states. Despite his wife backing his campaign, Kim Kardashian voted for Biden instead of her husband. Kardashian was shy to show public support of the Biden/Harris campaign until after the election results were in to avoid upsetting her husband. 

While his first go at running for president may have been a flop, West shows no signs of quitting. Tweeting a “Kanye 2024” message, this may not be the last we see of West in politics. 

How do you feel about Kanye West running for president? Would you vote for him, or is this all one elaborate joke? 

 

jwhelan1@ramapo.edu