In an apparent challenge to US President Donald Trump and his presumptive Democratic rival, former Vice President Joe Biden, American rapper Kanye West announced on Saturday that he would run for the US Presidential election in 2020.
Taking to Twitter, Kanye West wrote: "We must now realize the promise of America by trusting God, unifying our vision and building our future. I am running for president of the United States... #2020VISION."
West, a vocal supporter of Trump, has received backing from Tesla CEO Elon Musk. Endorsing West's tweet, Musk said: "You have my full support."
Kim supports Kanye's tweet with American Flag emoji
Kanye West's wife and reality TV star Kim Kardashian had little to say immediately after the news went viral, but showed her support by tweeting an American Flag emoji in response.
Was Kanye West serious?
It was not immediately clear if Kanye West was serious about vying for the presidency four months before the November 3 election or if he had filed any official paperwork to appear on state election ballots.
The rapper has sparked speculation over the years that he would potentially enter the presidential race one day, most recently in November 2019, when he said he planned to run in 2024, said a Daily Mail report.
The deadline to add independent candidates to the ballot has not yet passed in many states.
West and his equally famous wife Kim Kardashian West have visited Trump in the White House. Meanwhile, Kim Kardashian has met the President on more than one occasion lobbying for criminal justice reform.
Kanye West's bipolar disorder
At one meeting in October 2018, West delivered a rambling, profanity-laden speech in which he discussed alternative universes and his diagnosis of bipolar disorder, which he said was actually sleep deprivation.
Soon after, he paid a visit to Trump himself at the White House, wearing the President's trademark "Make America Great Again" hat and delivered a speech speaking to a crowd of reporters in the Oval Office, he added the hat was like a Superman cape and said that Trump made him a billionaire.
A poll published on June 26 indicated that Trump's approval ratings were at their worst level (40 per cent) following protests against police brutality in the US and amid a surge in coronavirus cases in the country.
A record 58 per cent of voters disapprove of the job Trump's doing at the White House, according to a new survey conducted by the Marist Institute for Public Opinion together with the National Public Radio and PBS NewsHour.
(With agency inputs)
