A crying Kanye West has officially launched his Presidential campaign for the 2020 US Elections. The rapper was addressing an unorthodox rally in Charleston, South Carolina.
The 43-year-old singer, song-writer, record producer and Fashion designer appeared to publicly announce the policy decisions and went on several rants including on abortion and on Harriet Tubman and that too unscripted. Critics and fans are wondering whether his last-minute bid for the WH is actually a publicity stunt.
However, the Charleston rally failed to provide a significant conclusion on whether his run is genuine. But a now-deleted tweet floated from the rapper’s account on Saturday appeared to showcase a song list for his new album, giving more strength to the speculation. The event organized at a weeding and conference hall in the city was exclusively open for registered guests however, the singer’s campaign website didn’t provide any information for the public to register or RSVP.
West’s Talk in Rally
The singer appeared on the scene with 2020 shaved into the back of his head and wore a security jacket while addressing the audience without a microphone. There were no mics for crowd either prompting West to beg for silence from the attendees to hear the questions being asked. During the address at one point the singer started crying as he talked about abortion, saying that his parents had almost decided to abort him: “There would have been no Kanye West, because my dad was too busy.”
He added: “I almost killed my daughter… even if my wife [Kim Kardashian West] were to divorce me after this speech, she brought North into the world, even when I didn’t want to.”
However, West also added that he believes abortion should remain legal, but there must be financial assistance for struggling new mothers – suggesting that “everybody that has a baby get a million dollars”.
“The only thing that can free us is by obeying the rules that were given to us for a promised land,” he said. “Abortion should be legal because guess what? The law is not by God anyway, so what is legality?”
The rally then witnessed another off-the-cuff monologue about 19th century abolitionist Harriet Tubman.
“Harriet Tubman never actually freed the slaves, she just had the slaves go work for other white people,” he said – a statement that prompted groans form the audience. The Atlanta-born composer and singer became tearful while remembering his late mother who passed away in 2007 from complications during cosmetic surgery.
West who officially announced his candidacy on 4th of July has already missed the deadline to qualify for the ballot in a number of states in the country and is now required to get enough signatures to earn a qualification for the ballot in the remaining states. Though making the first in the long list, he was able to appear on Oklahoma’s presidential ballot last week. In order to grab South Carolina’s ballot, Kanye has to collect 10,000 signatures by noon local time (18:00 BST) on Monday.
The Desire
West, 43 had been an ardent supporter of Republican President Trump but announced his own bid on the Independence Day with billionaire Elon Musk among his early endorsers. At that time West in a tweet said: “We must now realize the promise of American by trusting God, unifying our vision and building our future. I am running for president of the US.”
However, it is not the first time West has showed his desire to participate in the Presidential race. The rapper who is believed have a net worth valued at USD 1.3 billion told a crowd at an NY business festival last year that he would contest for 2024 Presidential elections. While in an MTV’s Video Music Awards function in 2015, Mr. Kanye said he had “decided in 2020 to run for president”.
