"The supra-party figure": how rapper Kanye West's presidential campaign is going on in the USA

The first election campaign of rapper Kanye West as part of the presidential campaign may take place on Sunday, July 19 in South Carolina, in the city of North Charleston. This was reported with reference to the West election document by Politico. It is specified that only registered participants will be able to attend the event, subject to the mask regime and social distance.

West also, having posted a link to a special site, turned to his followers on Twitter with a request to put signatures in support of his registration in the elections. Note that the audience of the rapper in the social network has about 28 million people.

“Guys, please collect signatures so that my name is included in the newsletter in South Carolina at one of these sites,” wrote Kanye West.

Hi guys please sign up to put me on the ballot in South Carolina at any of these locations You can also sign up at the websitehttps: //t.co/ZURvTEW9eepic.twitter.com/3rV5ujExPm

Kanye West previously registered as a presidential candidate in Oklahoma. This was reported in the local election commission.

Experts say that Kanye West can really count on participating in the election campaign in several states.

“West managed to go through the procedures necessary for the nomination in Oklahoma, submitting documents literally at the last moment. In what other states he will be able to run, it’s difficult to say now because of the pandemic situation, ”explained Yuri Rogulev, director of the Franklin Roosevelt US Studies Foundation at Moscow State University, in a conversation with RT.

"Special Leaders"

West announced his intention to run for president of the United States on July 5 via Twitter.

The rapper is being nominated as an independent candidate, since the Republican Party in the elections is already represented by the current head of the White House, Donald Trump. As for the Democratic Party, West has previously actively criticized it in its interviews.

So, in a conversation with Forbes, the rapper accused the Democrats of threats and intimidation, which they allegedly resorted to after West began to support Trump. According to the musician, representatives of the Democratic Party claimed that his musical career would end if he continued to support Trump. In addition, the musician accused the Democrats of racism.

• US Campaign
• Reuters
• © Jessica Rinaldi

“Saying that all dark-skinned people should be democrats, and thinking that my nomination is an attempt to delay votes is a manifestation of racism, the ideology of white superiority and control on their part. Democrats are promoting this information in social networks - the very democrats who pointed out to me threatened me, ”the executor said.

In the same interview, published on July 8, West talked about his current attitude to Trump and about political plans, and also denied rumors about his alleged mental illness.

“The Lord opened my eyes and said that the time had come. As you know, I ended up in the hospital, people called me crazy. But it’s not so, ”West said.

Note that earlier some media outlets, citing a source close to the West’s family, wrote that the rapper’s decision to participate in the political campaign was associated with an exacerbation of bipolar affective disorder.

At the same time, West emphasized that he intends to act as an independent politician.

“I'm not saying that Trump is standing in my way. Maybe he's part of my way. What about Joe Biden? Pffff, what are you? Obama was a special president. And Trump is special. We think Kanye West is special. America needs special leaders. Bill Clinton? Special. And Joe Biden is not special, ”the musician said.

Speaking about his vision of US foreign policy, West said that he has not yet developed an appropriate strategy. In addition, the rapper believes that America should primarily focus on its own defense.

The slogan of West’s election campaign will be the word “Yes!”, The rapper is nominated from the BDY party he founded (Birthday Party, Birthday Party. - RT ). As the musician explained, if he wins, it will be a “birthday” for everyone.

However, at the moment, analysts assess the political prospects of West with a share of skepticism.

“Formally, Kanye West can participate as an independent candidate, but he does not have much to do with this election campaign, because he has neither a full-fledged party, nor a program, nor an appropriate election campaign, consultants, political strategists and headquarters,” Yuri Rogulev believes.

"He is my brother"

Recall that the popular rapper spoke about plans to run for president of the United States for a long time. Back in 2015, in a gratitude speech during the MTV Video Music Awards, the musician announced his participation in the 2020 presidential election.

He talked about his readiness to act as a candidate for the presidency of the West in 2016. Then, however, the musician emphasized that he did not thus declare any political views, but had a human vision of problems.

• Donald Trump and Kanye West
• Reuters
• © Andrew Kelly

Political ambitions did not prevent West from openly supporting the 45th head of the White House. The musician became the first American star to meet with Trump. Earlier, the American leader was actively criticized by many representatives of creative circles. Some of them even participated in protests against the Republican President. The White House was openly boycotted by such American stars as Tom Hanks, Meryl Streep, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Elton John, athletes Steph Curry, LeBron James and many others.

The meeting between Trump and West took place in October 2018. The musician then put on a branded red baseball cap with Trump's campaign slogan “Make America Great Again.”

“When I put on this red cap, I feel like a superman,” West said then.

The rapper also wrote on his Twitter that, although Trump does not agree, the crowd cannot force West to dislike the head of the White House.

“Both of us have dragon power. He is my brother. I love everyone, but this does not mean that I agree with everyone in everything. It makes us a personality. And we have the right to freedom of thought, ”West said.

You don't have to agree with trump but the mob can't make me not love him. We are both dragon energy. He is my brother. I love everyone. I don't agree with everything anyone does. That's what makes us individuals. And we have the right to independent thought.

Although West has recently distanced himself from Trump, the head of the White House is still confident that the musician will support him during the election.

“He's a cool guy. We get along very well. I think that ultimately he will support us, and not someone else. We cannot allow the ultra-left to take over our country, ”the White House head quoted The Hill as saying.

"Outrageous person"

As HSE professor Alexander Domrin suggested in a conversation with RT, Kanye West can act as a “spoiler candidate” during the election, who will pull some of the votes from the Democrats to transfer them to Trump later.

“Most likely, the emphasis is on young African-Americans who could vote for Biden and support West. He is a rather shocking person, for whom any PR is of interest. It is unlikely that he seriously hopes to win. He can get a few percent of the votes, which will be a good help to Trump, ”said Domrin in an interview with RT.

A similar point of view is shared by Vladimir Vasiliev, the chief researcher at the Institute of the USA and Canada of the RAS In his opinion, the nomination of the musician is due to the political situation prevailing in the United States.

• At a polling station in the USA
• Reuters
• © Paul Ratje

“In the conditions of a fierce split between the Republicans and the Democrats, we need some universally significant supra-party figure. This is the niche that West is trying to fill, ”the expert explained in an interview with RT.

At the same time, the rapper maintains his ideological closeness with the Republicans and clearly does not intend to change this position, Vasiliev believes.

“The main task now is to tear off some of the votes of African Americans from the Democrats. Biden has a conflicting relationship with the African American electorate. Therefore, West can serve to split the electorate of the Democratic Party. Moreover, West uses a populist ideology, says a lot about God - under certain conditions, this can play into his hands. In addition, if Trump and Biden suddenly do not recognize the election results and a crisis arises in the US, West may well position himself as the “savior of America,” Vasilyev admitted.