On Sunday, hip-hop artist, entrepreneur, and spiritual leader Kanye West held his first-ever presidential rally.
The event took place in Charleston, South Carolina, and raised eyebrows based on some of the comments West made.
It also has many people wondering if the presidency goal is really something, or not. So is Kanye West really running for president?
Kanye West holds first presidential rally
Sunday’s rally featured Kanye West wearing a bulletproof vest as he spoke about topics ranging from Kim Kardashian nearly having an abortion to Harriet Tubman.
The hip-hop star commented that the Civil Rights icon, “never actually freed the slaves, she just had them work for other white people.”
That particular comment reportedly drew groans from the crowd which Kanye spoke to without a microphone. There was not much social distancing in effect either, according to Rolling Stone.
A video from The Guardian (below) shows West making his remarks at the rally. Keep in mind that some comments may be explicit.
Another comment Kanye made also has people wondering what his intentions are with the campaign.
“I don’t give a f**k if I win the presidency or not,” Kanye told the crowd at his Charleston event. He added that his goal is to be, “of service to God,” which fits in with his transition from his previous hip-hop style to a newer gospel form of music.
Is Kanye running for president for real?
The comment Kanye made in SC about his presidential aspirations seems telling in terms of why he’s doing what he’s doing, as some people believe it’s merely a publicity stunt.
Reportedly, Kanye mentioned that he has a new album set to come out on Friday, July 24, named after his mother. That’s unconfirmed at the moment, but he released a new song called Wash Us In the Blood featuring Travis Scott on June 30.
As far as running for president, Kanye West made his intentions known in June.
Last month, Kanye said during a Forbes interview that he was officially done supporting President Donald Trump and, “taking the red hat off.” That’s when he announced his intentions to run under a new party called the Birthday Party.
He also mentioned, “I’m not denying it, I just told you. To say that the Black vote is Democratic is a form of racism and white supremacy.” With that, it was believed that he intended to take Black votes away from Democratic candidate Joe Biden.
In that interview, West also said, “Like anything I’ve ever done in my life, I’m doing to win.”
Since declaring his intentions, West filed his statement of candidacy with the Federal Election Commission on July 15. That makes him an official presidential candidate along with “hundreds of others,” per Variety.
West has qualified for at least one state’s ballot. The Oklahoma State Election Board tweeted that he was on the state’s General Election ballot. West had to pay $35,000 to get on that ballot.
He also tweeted out to ask for support to get on the ballot in South Carolina. West provided the Kanye2020.country website as a way to offer support.
West has reportedly missed the filing deadline in several states already, which would hurt his chances of a presidential campaign victory.
Variety’s recent report also mentions it is an uphill battle for an independent candidate to win even with West’s celebrity status. So missing those deadlines in states will hurt, as could his recent controversial comments and questions regarding his mental health.
It remains to be seen if the campaign continues for the next several months, or ends.
To make a long story short, it appears that Kanye West is running for president, but winning doesn’t appear likely.