Kanye West has addressed speculation that Republicans are paying him to run for president in the November elections as a “distraction”.
“Bro, can’t nobody pay me… I got more money than Trump,” the nine-time Grammy Award-winning American rapper and record producer reportedly says in an interview on Nick Cannon’s podcast, Cannon’s Class.
West also added, “I’m not running for president. I’m walking.”
Посмотреть эту публикацию в InstagramThe Genius that is @KanyeWest Tomorrow exclusively on my podcast @CannonsClassTV #CannonsClass
In the interview, set to go live on 1 September, the host travelled to West’s mountain ranch in Wyoming for a sit-down that focused on the life, career, and, of course, presidential bid of one of the world's best-selling music artists.
Meanwhile, Donald Trump’s campaign aides have dismissed speculations that they were aiding the presidential hopeful.
"I like Kanye very much… No, I have nothing to do with him getting on the ballot. We'll have to see what happens,” Trump told reporters earlier this month.
GOP operatives are helping Kanye West's attempts to get on state ballots for the election. Trump says he has played no part in encouraging West's potential presidential run: "I like Kanye very much. I have nothing to do with him getting on the ballot." https://t.co/Nj065CIsxp pic.twitter.com/AazZez66Mp
— CBS News (@CBSNews) August 5, 2020
Hurdle-Riddled Campaign
The eccentric rapper/fashion designer, who had previously expressed support for President Donald Trump and met with him in the Oval Office in October 2018, announced his presidential bid via Twitter on 4 July.
Many had initially taken the move with a pinch of salt, wondering whether it was no more than a publicity stunt.
Kanye West's late decision to run for president means he has missed deadlines to appear on the ballot in several states, his campaign progressing in fits and starts.
So far he has secured spots on the presidential ballot in six states, including Arkansas, Colorado, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Utah, and Vermont.
According to a CNN tally on 31 August, West had made it onto the ballot in 11 states, where a total of 83 electoral votes are at stake.
Last week, West paid a $500 registration fee to appear in Louisiana, yet was kicked off the ballot in his home state of Illinois for drumming up only 1,200 valid signatures of the 3,128 his team submitted. West's team is now trying to prove the signatures are valid.
The musician has sued the Wisconsin Elections Commission (WEC) after it voted 5-1 to keep his name off the ballot in the swing state, claiming his team had submitted petitions in favour of his candidacy after a 5 p.m. deadline.
As pundits question Kanye West’s election chances, the rapper seems, to all intents and purposes, determined to continue his presidential run.
