A short history of things Donald Trump and Kanye West have said about each other
During a press conference on Thursday for what historians will one day refer to simply as The Pledge, Donald Trump found time to rave about Kanye West, saying, "I would never say bad about [Kanye] because he says such nice things about me." It wasn't the first time Trump has name-dropped the rapper — in fact, the two have a long and occasionally tense history.
Trump has been known to call West a good friend, and they even sound eerily similar when they speak. For his part, West has at times clashed with the current administration, a frequent target of Trump's.
Still, Kimye spent the night of the first Republican debate chilling with Hillary Clinton, and Kim Kardashian also tweeted a selfie before the rendezvous, calling Clinton "our next president."
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The 2016 election, in other words, could be a test of loyalties for West. Here's a peek at the history between him and The Donald name-checking each other:
2015: Trump on West: "I'll never say bad about Kanye West. I love him. But maybe in a few years I'll have to run against him and take that back." Earlier in the week, Trump also said: "[West is] a nice guy. I hope to run against him someday."
2014: Trump on if he got a Kimye wedding invite: "Well, I don't know that I'd be invited, but I definitely wish them the best of luck. I know them well and they're both very nice people so I hope they do well."
2010: Kanye West in "So Appalled": "I'm so appalled/Spalding balled/Balled in and Donald Trump taking dollars from y'all/Baby your fire and your girlfriend hired/And if you don’t mind, I'ma keep you on call"
2009: Donald Trump: Following the Taylor Swift controversy, he calls West "disgusting," demands a boycott of all things Kanye West.
2007: Kanye West in "Flashing Lights": "You're fire m------f------, Donald Trump n----/I'm killin' these n---- can't f--- n----/Now let's drink to that 'til we drunk"
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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
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