Rapper Kanye West is sharing more details about his relationship with former President Donald Trump. A new interview reveals why West liked Trump and also how he felt like he was used in the friendship. The details come as West could run against Trump in the 2024 presidential election.
What Happened: West, also known as Ye, has been busy in recent weeks. He has been interviewed several times and seen his relationships with retailers Gap Inc (NYSE:GPS) and Adidas (OTC:ADDYY) face backlash.
West also rejoined social media platform Twitter Inc (NYSE:TWTR) over the weekend after a suspension from Instagram, a platform owned by Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META).
West was also interviewed by Tucker Carlson and shared details on his relationship with Trump.
The rapper said he liked Trump when he was running for public office and despite pleas from his ex-wife, ex-mother-in-law and friends not to support Trump, West did anyway.
“My so-called friends around me told me if I said that I like Trump, that my career would be over,” West said.
He added that people told him that some get killed for wearing MAGA hats, a reference to the red “Make America Great Again” hats that support Trump, a hat West wore several times.
“Trump wanted nothing but the best for this country. God is not always gonna bring the most perfect personality. The realest people are gonna make you feel uncomfortable at first.”
West praised Trump in the interview, saying he is “the s**t” because he has his name on his “own buildings.”
The recent interview by West that praised Trump led to digital artist Beeple creating the artwork below, captioned “Ye Against the World” with Trump and West.
YE AGAINST THE WORLD pic.twitter.com/obD0TRDmNc
— beeple (@beeple) October 7, 2022
Related Link: The Fate Of Donald Trump's Twitter Presence Depends On Elon Musk
Why It’s Important: While West praised Trump in the interview, he also found one area to criticize the former president.
“Older white people (are) quick to classify a Black person only by the fact that we’re Black,” West said.
West said that Trump, who he considered a friend, used him to boost his approval rating.
“One of the things he said to me was, ‘Kanye, you’re my friend. When you came to the White House, my Black approval rating went up 40 percent.’”
The rapper said that for politicians, sometimes all Black people are worth “is an approval rating.”
West ran for president in 2020, going head-to-head with his friend Trump. West has teased another run for president in the 2024 election, which could put him in a battle with his friend once again. Some believe that West running could take votes away from a Democratic candidate and help boost Trump’s odds of winning.
A picture of a hat with the number “2024” was shared by West on Twitter, which could be the biggest indication yet that he will be running for office in 2024.
2024 pic.twitter.com/CJsmMGhExW
— ye (@kanyewest) October 8, 2022
Photo: Courtesy of Super 45 | Música Indepe and Gage Skidmore on flickr
