# Kanye West signals intent to run for presidency **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [July 5, 2020, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kanye-west-signals-intent-to-run-for-presidency/914362 "2020-07-05T04:45:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2020, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kanye-west-signals-intent-to-run-for-presidency/914362/21 "2020-07-05T21:45:28Z")
His best chance now is if a small party picks him as their running mate. Most of them are run by sane people so that’s very unlikely to happen. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2020, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kanye-west-signals-intent-to-run-for-presidency/914362/22 "2020-07-05T22:59:26Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > > [@DCnDC](#): > > > > Despite what Republicans think, black people are not this stupid. > > On the other hand, black people are people, and people can be pretty stupid sometimes. Black people, like white people, LatinX people, and every other kind of people, contain among their numbers some large proportion of “vote in Presidential elections but otherwise pay virtually no attention to the news” folks. So some of them might well be siphoned off from Biden voters by some flashy candidate who seems, well, Interesting. Kanye has become known for being something of a train-wreck. And that is _interesting_. (And Elon Musk is an irresponsible scoundrel.) ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2020, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kanye-west-signals-intent-to-run-for-presidency/914362/23 "2020-07-05T23:14:55Z")
> [@Jeff\_Lichtman](#): > > He and Trump will split the lunatic vote. That’s about all that needs to be said. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2020, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kanye-west-signals-intent-to-run-for-presidency/914362/24 "2020-07-05T23:21:04Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > Despite what Republicans think, black people are not this stupid. You only need enough to make a difference. If Kanye siphons off even just 2-3% of the black vote, that could be a big deal in swing states. Although as right now it appears that Trump is turning in such an inept performance that Biden could easily overcome any Nader-ing that Kanye could do. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2020, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kanye-west-signals-intent-to-run-for-presidency/914362/25 "2020-07-06T01:28:29Z")
Kanye is mentally ill with bipolar and he admitted it. Trump would never admit any problem with his health or anything else. ---
**Author:** ![E-DUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/e-dub/32/403_2.png) [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2020, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kanye-west-signals-intent-to-run-for-presidency/914362/26 "2020-07-06T01:38:29Z")
Maybe it’s a PR gimmick for an album/tour. Kid Rock did the same thing regarding a Senate seat here in MI. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2020, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kanye-west-signals-intent-to-run-for-presidency/914362/27 "2020-07-06T14:18:41Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > Kanye is mentally ill with bipolar and he admitted it. Yeah, I don’t know if it’s cool to go there, but is he really interested in running for office, or is his mental illness making him do this? Instead of laughing, should we be hoping he gets the help he needs? ---
**Author:** ![Dead\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc29f/32.png) [@Dead\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Cat)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2020, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kanye-west-signals-intent-to-run-for-presidency/914362/28 "2020-07-06T14:46:10Z")
Regarding this: “Bad news for voters in Indiana, Maine, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina and Texas – the deadline has already passed to file and you won’t get a chance to vote for West. (Unless you want to write him in.)” If he did indeed achieve a plurality of votes from write-ins in these states, would convention dictate that those states’ electors would indeed vote for him in the Electoral College? I tried to Google this but couldn’t find a good answer (I realise it may vary from state to state). ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2020, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kanye-west-signals-intent-to-run-for-presidency/914362/29 "2020-07-06T16:00:46Z")
some states have an official write in which means they count your votes. Normally for that you have to get a certain number of signed petitions. Number varies by state. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Bredin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@John\_Bredin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Bredin)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2020, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kanye-west-signals-intent-to-run-for-presidency/914362/30 "2020-07-06T18:12:27Z")
Can’t say Kanye without “con”. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Mallard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Mallard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mallard)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2020, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kanye-west-signals-intent-to-run-for-presidency/914362/31 "2020-07-06T18:23:12Z")
Sure glad there’s google. With Mr. Kim Kardashian running for president should make for an interesting campaign for the “privilege” vote. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2020, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kanye-west-signals-intent-to-run-for-presidency/914362/32 "2020-07-06T18:23:59Z")
This is truly a scary thing. 😊 He ain’t got nuthin’ to add to the universe. But he did win the Family Feud a coupla weeks ago. There’s that. ---
**Author:** ![erysichthon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d07c76/32.png) [@erysichthon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erysichthon)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2020, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kanye-west-signals-intent-to-run-for-presidency/914362/33 "2020-07-06T18:48:34Z")
> [@lobotomyboy63](#): > > Maybe it’s a whoosh? > > > [@](#): > > > > If West does actually want to run for president, he would have to do so as an independent. And even that would take him acquiring the necessary signatures to get on November’s ballot. Bad news for voters in Indiana, Maine, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina and Texas – the deadline has already passed to file and you won’t get a chance to vote for West. (Unless you want to write him in.) He probably thinks that he’ll automatically be added to the ballot in all 50 states simply because he announced that he’s running. I don’t know why people like Letterman and Musk like him. He always struck me as a hotheaded dim-bulb. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2020, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kanye-west-signals-intent-to-run-for-presidency/914362/34 "2020-07-06T19:02:23Z")
I think Letterman knew he’d be an entertaining interview. Musk is a reprehensible POS and is using him for the attention. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2020, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kanye-west-signals-intent-to-run-for-presidency/914362/35 "2020-07-06T20:13:44Z")
West’s company [got a multimillion dollar PPP loan](https://www.thedailybeast.com/billionaire-kanye-wests-company-yeezy-llc-gets-multimillion-dollar-ppp-loan-from-trump-admin). ---
**Author:** ![Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiendish_astronaut/32/3295_2.png) [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2020, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kanye-west-signals-intent-to-run-for-presidency/914362/36 "2020-07-06T20:20:40Z")
_Does_ Musk like him? His tweet was a reply saying “You’ve got my vote!” which seemed tongue in cheek to me. ---
**Author:** ![Flopnoodle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ad7895/32.png) [@Flopnoodle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flopnoodle)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2020, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kanye-west-signals-intent-to-run-for-presidency/914362/37 "2020-07-06T21:21:50Z")
Huh. Didn’t have that on my 2020 bingo card. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2020, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kanye-west-signals-intent-to-run-for-presidency/914362/38 "2020-07-06T21:49:04Z")
If it was another singer, I’d say it was an empty statement designed to seek attention and media coverage. In this case, though, there is no history of attention seeking or public gestures. I just wanna say, I’mma gonna let you finish, but y’know who deserves to be the next president? ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2020, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kanye-west-signals-intent-to-run-for-presidency/914362/39 "2020-07-06T21:56:22Z")
> [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](#): > > _Does_ Musk like him? His tweet was a reply saying “You’ve got my vote!” which seemed tongue in cheek to me. Musk is an idiot who tweets about “red pilling” and shit so I assume his enthusiasm is sincere. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2020, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kanye-west-signals-intent-to-run-for-presidency/914362/40 "2020-07-08T12:50:15Z")
[West insists that he’s running](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/jul/08/kanye-west-takes-anti-vaccine-anti-abortion-stance-in-us-presidential-bid) in 2020 under the “Birthday Party” with a Wyoming preacher as his VP and Elon Musk leading NASA if he wins. Despite missing the filing deadlines in some major states (and likely missing more since a July 15th date approaches), he says that he can run anyway because of COVID-19. Speaking of the disease… > Regarding the development of a Covid-19 vaccine, he said: “It’s so many of our children that are being vaccinated and paralysed … So when they say the way we’re going to fix covid is with a vaccine, I’m extremely cautious. That’s the mark of the beast. > > “They want to put chips inside of us, they want to do all kinds of things to make it where we can’t cross the gates of heaven.” > > West added that Covid-19 was “all about God. We need to stop doing things that make God mad.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kanye-west-signals-intent-to-run-for-presidency/914362.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kanye-west-signals-intent-to-run-for-presidency/914362.md?page=3)