With the upcoming United States presidential election in November, tensions between the two major American political parties have been high. The nation is split between Joe Biden, the Democratic Presidential candidate, and Donald Trump, the Republican candidate and current POTUS. However, on July 4, 2020, a new candidate announced his decision to run for president.
Kanye West, best known for his work in the music industry as both a rapper and producer as well as his marriage to Kim Kardashian, took to the Twittersphere to tell the public he would be running for office. He stated that:
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
This comes as a surprise due to West’s vocal support of Donald Trump during his time as President of the United States. Despite his previous support, in recent Forbes interviews, Kanye West has stated that he can no longer support Trump but gives no further explanation.
Many have debated whether the artist is serious or not in his announcement. Firstly, he announced his presidential run with only 119 days left until the election while the two primary candidates announced their campaign back in 2019. In addition, it has been reported by the Federal Election Commission that West has not submitted the official paperwork necessary to verify his bid. Not only does West still have to file the required paperwork if he is being serious about his candidacy, but he also missed the filing deadline to appear on the ballot as an independent candidate in a number of states. He will be unable to appear on the ballot in the six states of Indiana, Maine, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, and Texas. Out of these states, Maine, New Mexico, North Carolina, and Texas are expected to be swing states, meaning that these states have had close election results over the past several presidential campaigns. If West was being honest when announcing his vying for the presidency, having to be a write-in candidate in these states will be detrimental. There are a number of independent candidate deadlines approaching in other states in the upcoming weeks, such as California, Illinois, Michigan, and more.
West does not seem to be deterred by these facts. In fact, he recently announced both his supposed running mate and platform. Though nothing has been solidified, West has stated that he hopes for his running mate to be Michelle Tidball. Tidball apparently runs Abundant Ministries, a nonprofit organization that focuses on helping people understand God’s will, and is a self-proclaimed ‘biblical life coach.’ Meanwhile, West’s platform seems to lean more to the right end of the political spectrum. When asked about the coronavirus cure, West said that his course of action would be to “pray for the freedom… We need to stop doing things that make God mad.” Further questioning on the topic of vaccines made it clear that West is strongly anti-vaccination, claiming that they are “the mark of the beast” and a way for people to “put chips inside of us.” He also states that he is pro-life and against capital punishment. Additionally, when asked about his policies on taxation and foreign affairs, he hasn’t “done enough research on that yet” and does not have any policies in place concerning those issues at this time.
There are many theories surrounding why Kanye West announced his run for presidency. Some people are speculating that he is doing it to split the vote and assist Trump in securing another term. Other people are starting to believe that his decision is a result of a manic episode relating to his bipolar disorder. However, if Kayne is serious in his bid for becoming the president, he will be registered on the ballots as an independent candidate and member of the “Birthday Party.”
Sources:
Kanye West Says He’s Done With Trump. https://www.forbes.com/sites/randalllane/2020/07/08/kanye-west-says-hes-done-with-trump-opens-up-about-white-house-bid-damaging-biden-and-everything-in-between/#3f219f0747aa
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