Forget 2016. Kanye West says he’s planning to run for president in 2020.
In a candid and at times heartfelt acceptance speech at Sunday night’s MTV Video Music Awards, the rapper concluded his remarks by announcing a presidential bid for the election five years from now.
“I don’t know what I finna lose after this. It don’t matter, though; It’s not about me. It’s about ideas. New ideas. People with ideas. People who believe in truth,” West said. “And yes, as you probably could’ve guessed by this moment, I have decided in 2020 to run for president.”
It was unclear how serious West was about his plans for running for president. He told the audience that if they are wondering “Did he smoke something before he came out here,” then “the answer is ‘Yes, I rolled up a little something. I knocked the edge off.’”
The declaration came after his reflections on whether he would have acted differently if he could change his behavior during the infamous 2009 incident when he grabbed the microphone from VMA award winner Taylor Swift.
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Last night, Swift presented West with the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award and an impassioned West told the audience that he still doesn’t understand award shows— “I don’t understand it, bruh,”— and he pondered out loud whether he would have disrupted Swift’s speech if had had a daughter at the time.
“I’m not no politician, bruh,” West said, remarking on the decision to have Swift present him with the award this year. “You know how many times they announced Taylor was going to give me the award. Because it got them more ratings. Listen to the kids, bruh!” West said.
The official Twitter account of the Democratic Party tweeted “Last night @kanyewest declared his candidacy for president in 2020. Welcome to the race, Mr. West. Glad to have you.”
Last month, the rapper and his wife Kim Kardashian attended a fundraiser for Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton.
Kardashian tweeted a selfie that she and West took with Clinton, along with an endorsement: “I got my selfie!!! I really loved hearing her speak & hearing her goals for our country! #HillaryForPresident.”
