In a radio interview on Tuesday morning, Donald Trump suggested that Kanye West would not have been treated the way he was after making antisemitic statements if he hadn’t previously said “good things about Trump”.
Speaking with conservative talk radio personality and podcaster Chris Stigall, the former president was asked about a number of current events and news topics, including the midterms and Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter.
Mr Trump’s remarks on the disgraced rapper, whose slew of antisemitic comments saw him dropped by a string of companies with whom he collaborated, stuck out in particular.
The host asked whether West was getting a “fair shake”, adding that he felt that ever since the rapper was associated with Mr Trump he was a “marked man, no matter what he’s said or done since”.
The host mentioned West’s appearance on Tucker Carlson’s Fox News show and asked the former president how he viewed the rapper these days.
“Well, I was very honoured, because I didn’t know him that well but I liked him, I obviously got along with him very well, and I was very honoured in a sense because he said all of those great things about me on Tucker Carlson,” Mr Trump began.
“He some statements, rough statements, on Jewish, you heard them and you know them well, and they’re saying that was the reason, so then you ask would it be the same if he didn’t say all those good things about Trump, you just don’t know,” he added.
“He’ll be fine. I think he’ll be fine. He’s a very different kind of a guy, and it was very interesting to hear him on Tucker Carlson, you know, you never hear him in long sentences, right?” Mr Trump continued. “He was actually very sharp and very smart. I was impressed by a lot of what he said.”
Said Mr Stigall: “He talked about life, he talked about health, he feels that these are things that the Black community is being lied to about those things.”
Mr Trump responded: “Look, people go after people who are conservatives. The Republicans ought to get tougher, the Republicans aren’t tough enough, they allow it to happen.”
West faced an intense backlash over his recent antisemitic comments, with a number of companies and brands announcing they will no longer do business with the rapper or his brand Yeezy.
Controversies piled up in recent weeks after he first sparked criticism over a “White Lives Matter” shirt. Amid the backlash, he proceeded to make a number of derogatory and threatening comments targeted at Jewish people.
After his Instagram account was suspended as a result, the rapper took to Twitter to share the antisemitic rants, where he claimed he was going to go “death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE”. His Twitter account was also suspended.
However, despite no longer having access to his social media accounts, the Yeezy founder continued to express antisemitic views in interviews, including in a since-deleted interview with Drink Champs podcast, in which he claimed he could make antisemitic comments and still have the support of his longtime partner Adidas.
West has since been proven wrong, as a number of companies, including Adidas, have announced they will no longer work with him moving forward while condemning his remarks.
The sportswear company joined fashion house Balenciaga, Vogue, The RealReal, TJ Maxx, Gap, Foot Locker, and other brands in dropping any association with the rapper.
