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UPDATE 14/12/16:
After refusing to answer reporters’ questions as he posed for photos with Donald Trump after their meeting on Tuesday, Kanye West has finally revealed why he wanted to meet with the president-elect.
Making a statement via Twitter a few hours later, he explained he wanted to discuss “multicultural issues” with Trump.
“I wanted to meet with Trump today to discuss multicultural issues,” he wrote in the first of four tweets. “These issues included bullying, supporting teachers, modernizing curriculums, and violence in Chicago.
“I feel it is important to have a direct line of communication with our future President if we truly want change.
“#2024”
The final “2024” tweet seems to indicate that Kanye will not run against Trump in 2020 like he had previously said he would, waiting until 2024 when Trump’s presidency will be over. Which at this point feels really, really far away.
ORIGINAL STORY:
A newly blonde Kanye West emerged from several weeks out of the spotlight on Tuesday to meet with Donald Trump in New York.
The rapper, who was hospitalised for a physical and mental breakdown last month, surprised onlookers when he arrived at Trump Tower and was quickly whisked upstairs to meet the US president-elect. According to several media sources outside Trump Tower, Kanye and Trump met for around 15 minutes before the pair returned to the foyer to pose for photos.
In response to reporters shouting questions, Trump said “We’re just friends, just friends. He’s a good man. Going well. Long time – We’ve been friends for a long time,” adding that they talked about “Life, we discussed life.”
Kanye was mostly silent, telling photographers “I just want to take my picture right now.”
A spokesperson for Trump later confirmed it was the rapper who asked to meet the soon-to-be American president.
It’s not the first time Kanye has indicated he aligns with Donald Trump. Just prior to his breakdown last month, he ranted about Trump for several minutes on stage, even describing him as a “genius”.
Kanye may merely want to perform at Trump’s inauguration next month, although his intentions could be more political: he has said that he plans to run for the presidency in 2020. Maybe he’s ready to get some government experience – stay tuned for the announcement of Kanye West’s position in the new administration.
