Kanye West Is Still Running for US President

Controversial American rapper Kanye West announced, in a tweet on July 5, his plans of running for US president in 2020.

“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 🇺🇸! #2020VISION.” West tweeted.

The 2020 United States presidential election is scheduled for November 3. The elections are featuring US President Donald Trump of whom West has been a vocal supporter, Joe Biden, and Brock Pierce, the crypto evangelist, entrepreneur, and former child star.

Due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, several events related to the 2020 presidential election have been altered or postponed. As of March 24, all major party presidential candidates have stopped campaigning in-person and campaign rallies over concerns about coronavirus.

[caption id="attachment_15850" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Kanye West[/caption]

'Diverging from Trump'

The rapper and his wife Kim Kardashian West, have visited Trump in the White House to discuss prison reform. This is not their first meeting in the White House, as West met Trump in 2018 while wearing a red “Make America Great Again” cap.

He said that Trump made him feel like Superman, hugged him, and declared: “I love this guy right here.”

In the past few years, the rapper has gained and lost fans due to his outspoken endorsement of Trump. Recently, over the Black Lives Matter campaign and demonstrations against police brutality and racial discrimination he has perged from the President.

West donated $2 million in June to help the families of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor, three Black men who were killed in police and citizen incidents.

Forbes reported that the rapper revealed that he is no longer a Trump supporter and that he is “taking the red hat off” — a reference to the red “Make America Great Again” cap.

The 43-year-old rapper previously insisted that his announcement that he’s running for President was not a stunt to draw interest in an upcoming album.

At that time, West had already missed the deadline to qualify for the ballot in several states. He was also required to register with the Federal Election Commission, present a campaign platform, collect enough signatures to get on the November ballot, and more.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="1100"] Kanye West and Donald Trump[/caption]

'Drop out Claims'

Steve Kramer, a member of West’s campaign team, claimed on Tuesday that controversial American rapper Kanye West has reportedly dropped out of the presidential race, less than two weeks after announcing his bid for the White House.

He told the Intelligencer that after amassing a 180-strong campaign team in Florida, that he would allegedly no longer be contesting the election.

“He’s out,” Kramer told the publication, adding that he was in the process of canceling all the stuff.

The “E.T” rapper had tried to get his name on the ballot as a third-party candidate but needed to collect 132,781 signatures by Wednesday (July 15) to be qualified for running in Florida, according to the article.

Kramer added that the staff were told the drive to get on the ballot was over on the same day that West shared a picture of himself registering to vote in Wyoming.

The article comes just days after a US presidential poll suggested that west would gain less than two percent of votes were he to run against Trump and Biden.

[caption id="attachment_136765" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Kanye West[/caption]

'First official steps'

At this moment in time, that doesn’t seem to be the case anymore as West has qualified to appear on the state of Oklahoma’s 2020 presidential ballot after meeting the requirements and filing before the deadline.

“Kanye’s representative sent the necessary paperwork and paid the required $35000 USD filing fee on Wednesday,” Oklahoma Board of Elections spokeswoman Misha Mohr told AP.

The rapper has also taken the first official step in his campaign to become President by filing with the Federal Election Commission. On his Form 1, "Statement of Organization filing", he declared his committee will serve as the “Principal Campaign Committee” and run under the listed “BDY” or “Birthday Party”.

West has yet to file Form 2, his Statement of Candidacy, which documents that he’s spent more than $5000 USD in campaign activity, according to TMZ.