Kanye West In 2020? Billionaires Elon Musk, Mark Cuban Weigh In After Rapper Announces Presidential Bid
Outspoken rapper Kanye West took to Twitter on July 4 to announce his intention to run for president in 2020. West had been a public supporter of President Trump, making his decision to run against him a curious one, if there is any seriousness behind the gesture, especially when considering that filing deadlines for many states have passed.
“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!” West tweeted on Saturday, including the hashtag, #2020VISION.
Within minutes of West's tweet, similarly outspoken Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk tweeted his support of West’s possible political venture. West and Musk have indicated that they are friends, with the former recently tweeting out a photo of the two supposedly hanging out.
Another billionaire businessman, Mark Cuban, who is a noted Joe Biden supporter, also tweeted in support of West’s run, albeit in a way more intended to denigrate Trump.
“If there was Rank Choice voting available and @kanyewest was on the ballot with @JoeBiden and @realDonaldTrump, I would have @kanyewest ahead of @realDonaldTrump,” Cuban tweeted on Saturday.
Rank-choice voting is a system whereby voters rank the available candidates instead of choosing just one. Candidates ranked higher receive more points from the ballot than those ranked lower.
West, 43, has made no secret of his support for Trump, stating at a White House visit in 2018 that he “loves this guy [Trump] right here.” He also recently stated that he would be voting for Trump in 2020.
“And we know who I’m voting on,” West said in April. “And I’m not going to be told by the people around me and the people that have their agenda that my career is going to be over. Because guess what: I’m still here!”
West's interest in the White House is not new. During the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards, he surprised many by announcing he would one day run for president.
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