Media calls Kanye West’s presidential run a breakdown: We don’t buy it

If you had ‘Kanye West runs for president’ on your 2020 apocalypse bingo card, you’re in luck. The rapper and self-proclaimed genius announced his run for the presidency last week. He’s challenging incumbent Donald Trump who he was friends with a few years ago and former VP Joe Biden who he’s slamming in the media as we speak. 

According to members of Kanye West’s family, his presidential run is part of a bipolar breakdown. With declarations like creating a political party called “The Birthday Party”, we can see how people can think that. However, he’s garnered the support of billionaires like Elon Musk, so we think there’s something else going on. 

A new album? 

Rumors are circulating that Kanye West’s run for the presidency is publicity for a new album. Soon after publicly supporting and then distancing himself from Donald Trump, he dropped an album. Could The Birthday Party be its name? 

According to a Democratic campaign strategist, this is most likely the case. Usually, presidential candidates announce their intention to run several months, if not years before an election. Since Kanye West is announcing his intention to run four months out, there’s not enough time for a proper campaign. 

Except, Kanye West announced his intention to run in 2020 all the way back in 2015 at the MTV Music Awards. Just because he announced his presidential run now doesn’t mean it wasn’t in the works since 2015. He is off to a slow start though, as he’s currently not on the ballot in most states. West isn’t registered as a candidate federally, either. 

Michelle Tidball and Kanye West’s presidential platform

Kanye West’s running mate is a woman named Michelle Tidball from Wyoming. She is a “Biblical Life Coach” who lives near West’s ranch. Little is known about her, but West’s presidential platform is heavily centered around social conservatism that Bible-based Christians like Tidball embrace, including his anti-abortion stance. 

Kanye West’s anti-abortion stance isn’t the only part of his presidential platform that reflects Tidball’s far-right Christianity. In response to a possible COVID vaccine, Kanye West called vaccines “the mark of the Beast,” an allusion to a prophecy in Revelation. Most Christians have no issue with vaccines but there are some who do. 

Wakanda forever! 

More farfetched, Kanye West’s presidential vision is modeled after the fictional country of Wakanda from Marvel Comics and the MCU. This is just one in a line of grandiose statements West made about his presidential campaign, including his Birthday Party independent affiliation. 

Indications of a manic episode? Possibly. Hyping himself up for a new album? Also likely. Kanye West’s erratic praise of his campaign could also be a cover for how serious he is. Or because he took notes from a friend he made back in 2016. 

Donald Trump’s reaction

In an interview with Real Clear Politics, current US President Donald Trump stated that if Kanye West ran his presidential campaign this year, West should consider it “a trial run.” While it sounds like a slam, could it be covert advice? Remember, Trump first ran for president in 2012 and was laughed out of the race. Then 2016 happened. 

Is it possible that Donald Trump is grooming Kanye West to run for president in 2024 on the Republican ticket? Usually, Trump is scathing towards his opponents, blasting them with dumb nicknames and bluster on Twitter. With Kanye West, Trump is uncharacteristically neutral, calling West’s presidential campaign “very interesting.” 

What happens if Kanye West wins the presidency? 

Would it be a complete disaster? Surprisingly, Kanye West shared his views on mental health reform and education in a detailed press briefing in the White House in 2018. His wife, reality star Kim Kardashian, is also an advocate for criminal justice reform, specifically in overturning wrongful convictions. 

While Kanye West has some good ideas in his presidential platform, like mental health and criminal reform, other ideas he has made us think that if he wins, it won’t feel like our birthday.