Kanye West Is ‘Serious’ About Running For President, Says Pal John Legend
Music icon Kanye West is “serious” about running for president of the United States in 2024, according to his longtime friend, singer John Legend.
“He said it multiple times,” Legend told journalist Dan Wootton on his September 7 podcast (via Fox News). “I think he’s serious.”
Legend said Kanye never said whether he’d run as a Democrat or a Republican, but he has reiterated his presidential ambitions on numerous occasions.
“He’s never told me anything about what party,” Legend said. “I’d guess he’d run as an independent, but he’s never told me anything about what party he would run from. But he’s said multiple times that he’s interested in running for president.”
Legend: Kanye Is Inspired By Trump
Legend believes Kanye’s presidential aspirations were inspired by his friend, President Donald Trump, who transformed himself from a business mogul into the leader of the free world.
“I think that’s part of why he likes Trump,” Legend explained. “I think he sees some aspects of himself in Trump and sees that Trump winning makes it feel like he could do it, too.”
In April 2018, Kanye West was slammed by many on social media for expressing his support for President Trump. After triggering a heavy backlash, the Grammy winner refused to back off his support for Trump.
Despite the controversy, Kanye’s new album immediately shot to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart in June.
John Legend and his wife Chrissy Teigen are vocal critics of President Trump who have tweeted repeatedly against him and his family. Despite their political differences, Legend said his friendship with Kanye remains strong.
Kanye’s wife, reality TV maven Kim Kardashian, is not a Trump supporter, but she is not an outspoken critic, either.
In July, Kim repeatedly refused to take the bait when talk show host Jimmy Kimmel tried to goad her into dissing Trump, as the Inquisitr previously reported.
“I have nothing bad to say about the president,” Kardashian said in response to several leading questions Kimmel tossed at her.
Kim said that she was grateful that President Trump had intervened to pardon Alice Marie Johnson. Johnson is a 63-year-old African-American grandmother who served 21 years in jail after being sentenced to life in prison for a nonviolent drug offense in 1996.
Alice Marie Johnson had sought clemency under former president Barack Obama but was denied.
Great meeting with @KimKardashian today, talked about prison reform and sentencing. pic.twitter.com/uOy4UJ41JF
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 30, 2018
In June 2018, President Trump commuted Alice Johnson’s sentence and released her from jail — one week after Kim had pleaded for clemency on her behalf.
“I’m very grateful and I’m very hopeful that more good things are going to come out of our conversations,” said Kardashian.
