This story is from July 5, 2020

Rapper Kanye West declares late run for US Presidency

“In America, anybody can be president. That's one of the risks you take,” Adlai Stevenson, a one-time Democratic candidate who has been described as the smartest man never to win the White House, said once in half-jest. Hewing to that possibility, Kanye West, the 43-year old African-American musician and entrepreneur, declared an unexpected run for the US Presidency on Saturday, setting political circles and social media alight about the seriousness or otherwise of his candidacy at this late stage.
Rapper Kanye West declares late run for US Presidency
WASHINGTON: “In America, anybody can be president. That's one of the risks you take,” Adlai Stevenson, a one-time Democratic candidate who has been described as the smartest man never to win the White House, said once in half-jest. Hewing to that possibility, Kanye West, the 43-year old African-American musician and entrepreneur, declared an unexpected run for the US Presidency on Saturday, setting political circles and social media alight about the seriousness or otherwise of his candidacy at this late stage.

"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! #Vision2020" the rapper, who is seen as a Trump supporter, said in an Independence Day tweet that was taken seriously by news outlets, considering how a reality star became President in the last election.
The immediate speculation though was West was throwing in his MAGA cap – which he wore for a meeting with President Trump in the Oval Office – to queer the path for Democratic nominee Joe Biden, who has established a commanding lead in polls leading up to the election.
A popular rapper and black icon who was born in Atlanta, Georgia, and raised in Chicago, West is expected to draw a few young African-American voters enthralled by his success if not his unknown vision. In a narrow election where a few thousand votes could make the difference in winning a state (Trump won Michigan by only around 10,000 votes, getting all its 16 electoral votes in the winner-takes-all system), this could jeopardize Biden support among Blacks.
Some pundits compared it to the candidacy of Green Party’s Jill Stein, who was seen as a spoiler for Hillary Clinton in 2016, taking away Democratic votes that may have otherwise enabled her to win the White House.
West has been a Trump supporter and suggested in April that he was going to vote for the incumbent this fall, arguing that one should not assume all Blacks are for Democrats. He famously visited the Oval Office in October of 2018, sporting a red "Make America Great Again" cap and saying "I love this guy right here," while posing with Trump. His wife
Kim Kardashian, like Trump also a reality tv personality and social media star, is also seen as Trump supporter having worked with the President on criminal justice reform aimed at freeing blacks who are incarcerated on minor charges.
It is not clear though if West, also known simply as "Ye," has done any official paperwork for a candidacy that is not seen as seriously viable at this late stage. Although he can appear on the ballot as an independent candidate, he would have to gather a certain number of signatures and register in states, in some of which the deadline for registration has passed.
Among those who welcomed West’s declaration of a late run was Tesla’s Elon Musk, like him another maverick, who tweeted: “You have my full support!”
While there was an element of mirth on social media about West’s sketchy announcement, not everyone was amused. "Kanye becoming President and making Kim Kardashian First Lady is just shows how America has turned into a big joke now," one BLM activist tweeted. For others, the joke took place in 2016 when "the bar was lowered so much it's less like a presidential race now and more like a limbo dance."
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