Earlier this week, Kanye West became the center of controversy when he met with President-elect Donald Trump. Although many fans initially speculated that West visited Trump Tower to discuss performing at Trump's inauguration, the Chicago rapper later revealed that he met with the President-elect to "discuss multicultural issues," citing "bullying, supporting teachers, modernizing curriculums, and violence in Chicago" as topics of discussion. "I feel it is important to have a direct line of communication with our future President if we truly want change," he explains of his decision to meet with the President-elect.
Some musicians agreed with his viewpoint on the issue, while others criticized him for holding the meeting. Wu-Tang Clan member RZA supported West's actions. "Trump is the president, you know what I mean? We're gonna have to talk with him, deal with him, build with him," he says in an interview with TMZ. "If Kanye willing to speak for our community, bong bong." ​
Another one of West's collaborators, John Legend, took the opposite stance on the issue, criticizing West for his decision. “I don’t think it’s impossible to talk to [Trump] about issues, but I won’t be used as a publicity stunt and I think Kanye was a publicity stunt. And I’m pretty disappointed with Kanye, that he says he would have voted for Trump," he said in an interview with Clique.Â
Watch footage of West and the President-elect responding to reporters at Trump Tower below.
