Kanye West claims he's running for president under the 'Birthday Party' and Trump and Biden should 'gracefully bow out'

Kanye West
(Image credit: Jean-Baptiste Lacroix/AFP via Getty Images)

Kanye West isn't dropping this whole "running for president" thing.

The rapper in a tweet over the weekend claimed he's running for president in 2020, and he doubled down in a new four-hour conversation with Forbes, in which he insists the announcement wasn't a publicity stunt even though he has apparently yet to register with the Federal Election Commission and has missed the deadline to be on the ballot in numerous states.

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"For the other candidates, I just gracefully suggest y'all bow out — Trump and Biden, gracefully bow out," West said.

Speaking of Trump, West looks to be hanging up his MAGA cap, as according to Forbes, he no longer supports the president. "I am taking the red hat off, with this interview," West said, adding that he doesn't like that Trump "hid in the bunker."

So why did West decide to run for president, anyway? He recalled to Forbes once being in the shower and thinking, "you're going to run for president," after which he "started laughing hysterically." At one point in the interview, West used the "framework of Wakanda," the fictional country from Black Panther, to describe his White House plans, outlining what Forbes dubbed the "Wakanda management model." Don't expect that to make much more sense in context. Oh, and he also claims vaccines are "the mark of the beast" and says he had COVID-19 earlier this year.

Read more from the interview, which really has to be seen to be believed, at Forbes.

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Brendan Morrow

Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.