Immediately after Kanye West announced his 2020 presidential candidacy, many began speculating he was running a spoiler campaign. Some speculated Ye was assisting Donald Trump's re-election efforts by siphoning voters from presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden. These theories were fueled in a recent New York Times report, which confirmed GOP operatives were helping Kanye secure ballot access in swing states.
On Thursday, Forbes contacted Kanye via text and directly asked him if his presidential run was intended to help Trump remain in the White House. Kanye first clarified that he isn't "running" for president, but rather "walking." Forbes then pointed out that Kanye was essentially running as a spoiler since it was mathematically impossible for him to secure the required 270 electoral votes.
His response? "I’m not going to argue with you. Jesus is King."
Kanye's text can be interpreted in two ways: He's either refused to argue because the spoiler accusations are true, or he just simply didn't want to get in a debate. Either way, Kanye didn't confirm nor deny the allegations.
Forbes then pressed Kanye about the reports of his campaign receiving assistance from people connected to the Republican Party. Kanye refused to say whether he feels like he's being used.
When I pointed out to West that the slapdash operation to get him on the ballot, which includes one operative previously arrested for voter fraud and multiple West “electors” from the same address, didn’t feel like a Kanye West production, West replied that it was a “God production.”
Trump recently denied any involvement in Kanye's campaign, and claimed he was unaware of any GOP efforts to get Kanye on ballots. Though Kanye recently said he no longer supports the president's re-election, he told Forbes he still has a relationship with the Trump administration. He claims he's "designing a school within the next month" and "meeting with [Education Secretary] Betsy DeVos about the post-Covid curriculum."
Shortly after the Forbes interview was published, Kanye tweeted out that "his goal is to win."
THE GOAL IS TO WIN
