The lead-up to the 2020 Presidential election has already included the campaign of Marianne Williamson, the sight of Bernie Sanders thanking Soccer Mommy and a host of other surreal moments. And while neither major party has held their conventions yet, it looks like there’s still room for the election to get weirder. That’s because Kanye West has taken to Twitter to announce that he will be running for President this year.
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
— ye (@kanyewest) July 5, 2020
The rhetoric in West’s tweet sounded pretty traditional, as campaign announcements go. “We must now realize the promise of America by trusting God, unifying our vision and building our future,” he wrote. Not long afterwards, Elon Musk indicated his support of West’s bid before changing gears and spending the rest of the night tweeting about his dislike of Noam Chomsky.
You have my full support!
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 5, 2020
As Sharareh Drury at The Hollywood Reporter writes, West offered no additional details about his run:
It is unclear if West has filed any paperwork necessary to run for president this election year, which would mean he’d likely have to run as a write-in candidate. As of Saturday evening, the only candidate for president named Kanye West in the FEC database for the 2020 election year is a Green Party candidate named “Kanye Deez Nutz West.”
That said, West wouldn’t be the first billionaire to seek the nation’s highest office this year. Some observers of the political scene have also noted that West has already missed the deadline to be on the ballot in several states, however.
Three reasons why the Kanye West 2020 campaign is a pure publicity stunt:
1. The deadline for independent candidates to get on the general election ballot has passed in IN, NM, ME, NY and NC.
2. Florida's filing deadline is in 10 days.
3. It's *Kanye West*
— Max Burns (@themaxburns) July 5, 2020
West isn’t the only popular musician to hint at a run for office in recent years. Kid Rock flirted with the idea of a Senate campaign not long ago — though that may have been designed as a way to promote his then-forthcoming album. And West has hinted that a new album, titled God’s Country, will be out soon. It’s possible that West is genuine about running for office; it’s also possible that he’s messing with all of our heads.
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