Trump says his African-American approval numbers have doubled, credits Kanye West

President Trump name-dropped one of his most famous followers.

Trump addressed the National Rifle Association's annual conference in Dallas on Friday, where he made sure to tout his approval numbers. But he didn't just pat himself on the back for earning increased popularity — he credited rapper Kanye West for boosting his approval rating among African-American voters.

West has taken to social media in recent days to voice his support for Trump, tweeting a picture of a Make America Great Again hat and garnering significant criticism for telling a TMZ Live interviewer that slavery was "a choice." While West has been taking heat from many fans and celebrities for his support of the president, he got approval from Trump himself last week.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

In Friday's speech, Trump apparently tied West's support to the support of black voters all over the country. "Kanye West must have some power, because you probably saw I doubled my African-American poll numbers," said Trump, to applause. "We went from 11 [percent] to 22 [percent] in one week. Thank you Kanye, thank you." Watch the entire shout-out below, via CNN. Summer Meza