What happened when Kanye West ran for US President?

While the United States presidential election is still a couple of months away, we already know that
Joe Biden won’t be returning to power when his current term in the White House comes to an end in
January.
With concerns over his age—he turns 82 in November—and a string of jaw-dropping errors over the
space of a few weeks earlier this summer, including addressing Ukrainian Volodymyr Zelenskyy as
Vladimir Putin, Biden decided to step down in a bid to strengthen the Democrats’ chances.
His Vice President Kamala Harris has taken the reigns in the race for presidency against former Head
of State Donald Trump, and appears to have clawed back some of the ground the Democrats lost via
Biden—at least as far the bookmakers are concerned as there’s nothing to split the Presidential
Election odds.
It’s been a dramatic campaign for both of the major parties to this point, with Trump’s assassination
attempt to shock the world, but the way things have gone in US Politics in recent times, it wouldn’t
be a presidential election race without it.
Cast your mind back to 2020, when we witnessed another unexpected and somewhat surreal event
stateside—rapper, producer, and fashion designer Kanye West’s announcement of his candidacy for
the Presidency of the United States.
Known for his musical genius and public persona, West’s foray into the world of Politics was met
with a mix of intrigue and scepticism. Although it was obvious he never really had a chance of
making it into the White House, what exactly happened during his campaign?

‘Ye’ first hinted at his presidential ambitions in 2015 during the MTV Video Music Awards, claiming:
“I’ve decided in 2020 to run for president” at the end of a gruelling 10-minute-long acceptance
speech for receiving a lifetime achievement honour.
At the time, the announcement was met with more hysteria than people taking it seriously, with it
being dismissed as just yet another typical Kanye moment. However, fast forward five years, and
West announced on Twitter (now X) that he was indeed running for president.
Regardless of his popularity, it was also unlikely West would come even close to challenging for the
presidency, and that was reflected in the political odds as he was a massive outsider.
His campaign was also hindered by missing the filing deadline in several key states, which limited his
appearance on ballots nationwide. Although he did manage to qualify in certain areas, including
Colorado, Minnesota, and Tennessee.
West’s campaign was centred around a mix of religious themes, opposition to abortion, and a focus
on family values, which he articulated in a series of rambling, emotional speeches and interviews.
One of the most memorable moments of his campaign came during his first and only rally in South
Carolina. West appeared on stage donning a bulletproof vest and broke down in tears as he
erratically spoke about God, homelessness, and personal topics, including his now ex-wife, Kim
Kardashian.
In the end, West’s presidential campaign is perhaps best remembered as a publicity stunt or a
manifestation of his larger-than-life persona rather than a genuine political effort.
His lack of preparation, missed deadlines, and unstructured campaign made it difficult to take him
seriously.
However, he still managed to garner 60,000 votes across the 12 states in which he was eligible to
appear on a ballot.