Kanye West explains his 'love' for Trump to Jimmy Kimmel, goes silent on whether Trump likes brown people


It was more than three minutes into Jimmy Kimmel's interview with Kanye West on Thursday's Kimmel Live before Kimmel brought up West's famously warm feelings for President Trump. Kimmel noted the strong, mixed reactions when West came out as a Trump supporter and asked if he thinks Trump is a good president. West tackled the first part, talking about choosing "love" over "fear" when he put on his MAGA hat.
"What it represented to me, it's not about policies — because I'm not a politician like that — but it represented overcoming fear and doing what you felt, no matter what anyone says," West said. "Liberals can't bully me, news can't bully me, the hip hop community, they can't bully me. Because at that point, if I'm afraid to be me, I'm no longer Ye." He added that he quite enjoys enraging people, then went on to discuss his views on slavery, being caught in a "simulation," and societal views on children, with a zinger: "We are too protective. We always don't want someone to get hurt — can you imagine me talking to my publicist before I said I'm going on TV again?"
West returned to love, and said society would be better if we treated everyone as our family, and Kimmel called that a "beautiful thought" then brought it back around to Trump. "In literal terms, there are families being torn apart at the border of this country ... as a result of what this president is doing," he said. "Whether we like his personality or not, his actions are really what matter. I mean, you so famously and powerfully said George Bush doesn't care about black people. It makes me wonder what makes you think Donald Trump does, or any people at all?" West sat silently in thought for a few seconds, Kimmel went to commercial, and they didn't discuss it again during the show. Watch below. Peter Weber
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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
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