Kanye West Announces He's Running for President This Year

Kanye West marked the Fourth of July with a major announcement: He's officially running for U.S. president in 2020.

The 43-year-old shared the news via Twitter on Saturday night, writing: "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 has been teasing his presidential campaign for the past several years, originally saying he intended to run in 2024.

"One of my main things [I'll address] once I’m president is the medical industry," he said in a 2018 interview with Power 92.3's DJ Pharris. "I’m going to make sure that the medical industry flourishes. There’s one thing I learned by hanging around with Jay-Z, and being married to my wife, is you can’t fuck up the paper.. That's the problem with a lot of the radical leaders in the past."

West's decision to enter the 2020 race means he'll have to compete with his so-called "brother" Donald Trump. 'Ye has received plenty of backlash for his well-documented support of the incumbent president, even going so far as to don Trump's divisive MAGA hat. He told GQ earlier this year that he planned to vote for Trump in the upcoming election, as he refused to let cancel culture dictate his politics.

"We know who I’m voting on. And I’m not going to be told by the people around me and the people that have their agenda that my career is going to be over," he said. "Because guess what: I’m still here! Jesus Is King was No. 1! I was told my career would end if I wasn’t with her (Hillary Clinton). What kind of campaign is that, anyway? That’s like if Obama’s campaign was 'I’m with black.' What’s the point of being a celebrity if you can’t have an opinion? Everybody make their own opinion! You know?"

Assuming Kanye is serious, he'll have to work hard and swiftly to secure the presidency. He's already missed the filing deadline in a number of states, which means he'd likely have to run as a write-in candidate.

According to BBC, Kanye has not registered his name with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) for November's election. The closest name the FEC database shows is a candidate called "Kanye Deez Nutz West," who filed their papers with the Green Party in 2015 under the address "1977 Golddigger Avenue, Suite Yeezus." Kanye Deez Nutz West has raised zero donations.

But despite his unlikely chances, Kanye has already received two big endorsements: one from his wife, Kim Kardashian West, and the other from his good friend, Tesla CEO Elon Musk.

Naturally, Twitter users were torn over Kanye's announcement, with many pledging their support, others dismissing it as a joke, and some accusing 'Ye of trying to split the vote in favor of a Joe Biden loss. You can read some of the reactions below.