Rapper Kanye West announced on Independence Day that he will be running for US president, however, it is not clear if he has filed any official paperwork to appear on ballots in time for the 2020 elections. Tara Pilkington reports.
Making the announcement on Twitter, West wrote: “We must now realize the promise of America by trusting God, unifying our vision and building our future,” and added “I am running for president of the United States.”
With only four months to go before polling day on 3 November, it was not clear the extent to which this West has prepared for this or why he has announced this so far into the elections. It is also not clear whether West has filed any official paperwork to appear on state election ballots. However, the deadline to add independent candidates to the ballot has not yet passed in many states.
If Kanye West does indeed run for president, he would follow in a long tradition of independent or third-party campaigns challenging the Democratic and Republican stranglehold. For example, in 2000, Ralph Nader’s Green party took less than 3% but was widely blamed for costing Democrat Al Gore the presidency.
However, many celebrities have responded to this news with confusion and are not supporting this decision in what is a critical moment of the presidential election campaign.
Actress Octavia Spencer replied to the news, Tweeting:
Comedian Tiffany Haddish commented on the news with a parady announcement:
Actress and activist Rose McGowan raised an interesting point, asking:
Some have argued that this is just another publicity stunt, as it is believed that West will be dropping an album in the near future.
