Kanye West took to Twitter late on the 4th of July to announce his candidacy for the 2020 US presidential election.
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 🇺🇸! #2020VISION
— ye (@kanyewest) July 5, 2020
It’s currently unclear whether or not Kanye has filed any of the necessary paperwork for the artist turned cultural icon to enter the race, but that didn’t stop Elon Musk from backing the ticket almost instantly, replying to the original tweet West has his “full support!”
Crazier things have happened, but it’s difficult to picture a realistic route to the White House for West at the moment. Without any involvement in the recent primary season, Kanye is excluded from being on either of the two main party tickets and has likely missed the deadline to run as an independent candidate in several of the 50 states. With that being said, the possibility of Kanye as a write-in candidate in states where he has a stronger following could make a tangible difference if the race between Trump and Biden boils down to a few percent.
Kanye West dipping his feet into the political sphere is nothing new, with the rapper regularly stirring controversy with his outspoken support for President Trump. The support goes both ways, however, with President Trump stating after a recent White House visit that Kanye “could very well be” a future presidential candidate.
Featured image: Saul Loeb
