Kanye West, who now goes by the name of Ye, at a rally in support of his previous presidential bid in South Carolina in July 2020.
American rapper Kanye West has announced his plan to run for president again in 2024 elections.
West, who legally changed his name to Ye, said in a video posted on Twitter late Thursday that he discussed his intent with former US President Donald Trump in Florida.
The meeting took place at Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence.
The rapper said he asked the former president to be his running mate to become vice president but added that Trump told him to not run and that he would lose.
"I think the thing that Trump was most perturbed about, me asking him to be my vice president. I think that was like lower on the list of things that caught him off-guard," West said in video.
The declaration of his candidacy, which referenced several political figures and aides associated with US white supremacist and anti-democracy movements, would make him the second person to enter the race after Donald Trump.
In a video titled “Mar-A-Lago Debrief”, West said Trump “started basically screaming at me at the table, telling me I’m going to lose. Has that ever worked for anyone in history? I’m like, ‘Wait, hold on Trump, you’re talking to Ye.’”
Several days ago, West was seen in the company of white nationalist Nick Fuentes at Mar-a-Lago.
Infamous for his virulent antisemitic opinions, Fuentes started a white nationalist organisation called America First Foundation. The US Department of Justice has called him a white supremacist and he has been banned from multiple social media platforms.
#YE24 pic.twitter.com/DyIhMU5By6
— ye (@kanyewest) November 25, 2022
The declaration comes amid Adidas announcing that it was investigating allegations of inappropriate behavior by West, after the German sporting goods maker last month ended its partnership with the rapper and fashion designer over a slew of antisemitic comments.
Adidas said it initiated the probe after receiving an anonymous letter making several allegations against the musician. The investigation follows a report by Rolling Stone magazine that detailed alleged incidents of inappropriate behaviour by West toward staff and prospective employees.
West also ran for the president's office in 2020 elections as independent, and reportedly garnered some 60,000 votes across 12 states.
At the time, he said he would eye for the 2024 race, tweeting a photo of him in front of a state map of the US with the caption, "KANYE 2024."
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