Kanye West reveals 'Birthday Party' banner for his presidential bid says Wakanda will be his model in office
Kanye West has said he will run for the White House under the banner of the "Birthday Party" and is ending his past support for Donald Trump in his first interview since tweeting he would seek the US presidency.
While significant doubt remains about whether the rapper is serious about challenging in this November’s election, West has given an interview to Forbes magazine where he discussed the possible bid.
During what Forbes described as “four rambling hours of interviews”, with West occasionally breaking into rap, the 43-year-old gave insights into his political thinking as well as making a number of controversial statements.
West initially said he would take the next 30 days to decide whether to run before the window for registering as a candidate in many states closes, according to Forbes, but became more certain about a bid during the interview.
He said he had never voted before but had been thinking about a campaign for years and would run under the label of the Birthday Party “because when we win, it’s everybody’s birthday”.
He claimed he was no longer supporting Mr Trump - despite the interviewer noting West had texted him a few weeks ago with the message “Trump 2020” - saying: “I am taking the red hat off, with this interview.”
West said he had selected the obscure Wyoming preacher Michelle Tidball as his vice presidential pick and suggested Musk would head up his administration’s space program if he won office.
The musician also claimed that his White House would be modelled on the fictional country of Wakanda from the film Black Panther, released in 2018.
West said he first thought about running for president while in the shower. “I just laughed in the shower, I don’t know for how long, but that’s the moment it hit me,” he is quoted saying.
He also accepted he is a political novice, saying: “I have to say with all humility that as a man, I don’t have all of the pieces in the puzzle.”
The interview follows a tweet on Saturday, July 4 - the day America was celebrating its independence - when he declared: “I am running for president of the United States.”
Yet there is widespread scepticism about whether West really intends to launch a full political campaign, with events and adverts, or is simply seeking publicity.
During the Forbes interview West denied floating his candidacy was a stunt to promote his upcoming album, saying “I give my album away for free”.
The rapper revealed during the interview he had coronavirus in February, saying that he had the “chills” and was “shaking in the bed”. Yet he expressed suspicion over the development of a Covid-19 vaccine.
“When they say the way we’re going to fix Covid is with a vaccine, I’m extremely cautious. That’s the mark of the beast,” West is quoted saying - a message that contradicts the consensus of scientists who have repeatedly stressed the importance of finding a vaccine.
West criticised Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, for saying earlier this year that voters “ain’t black” if they support Mr Trump and claimed the nominee was not “special” enough to be a good leader.
He also said he was against abortion, claiming that the pro-choice group Planned Parenthood was doing “the Devil’s work” inside cities. He said he would need to consider taxation and foreign policy further.
West at one point insisted he was serious about the White House bid and was aiming for victory. “Like anything I’ve ever done in my life,” he was quoted as saying, “I’m doing to win.”
