Watching the VMAs wasn’t necessary to hear about what Kanye announced while accepting the Vanguard Award on Sunday night.
“It’s about ideas. New ideas. People with ideas. People who believe in truth,” West said. “And yes, as you probably could’ve guessed by this moment, I have decided in 2020 to run for president.”
Whether or not he was serious about running for president is still up for debate. Some people have said if Trump can run then so can Kanye while others thought it was just a publicity stunt.
No matter what his intentions, West got attention even from the White House. Press Secretary Josh Ernest was chatting with reporters aboard Air Force One on Monday about West’s presidential campaign. Ernest said he that he especially looks forward “to seeing what slogan he chooses to embroider on his campaign hat,” according to Politico.
However, this isn’t West’s first encounter with politics. President Obama has referred to West as being a “jackass” in a tweet after interrupting Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech at the VMAs in 2009. He was also in the news in 2005 for saying “George Bush doesn’t care about black people” after Hurricane Katrina had hit.
Still haven’t watched the VMA’s? Watch Kanye’s acceptance speech here.