Kanye West drops out of 2020 presidential race
Kanye West has reportedly dropped out of the presidential race less than two weeks after announcing his bid for the White House.
On Tuesday, a member of West’s campaign team told Intelligencer that the rapper would no longer be contesting the election. “He’s out,” said Steve Kramer, a get-out-the-vote specialist working with West.
Kramer told the publication that he was in the process of getting “all our stuff cancelled” after amassing an 180-strong team.
He also Intelligencer that staff were told the bid was over on the same day West shared a picture of himself registering to vote in Wyoming.
Kramer later added: “I have nothing good or bad to say about Kanye. Everyone has their personal decision about why they make decisions… any candidate running for president for the first time goes through these hiccups.”
The rapper has not publicly commented on whether his bid for the White House is continuing.
West had reportedly attempted to get his name on the ballot paper as a third-party candidate, but needed to collect 132,781 signatures by 15 July to be eligible to run in Florida.
It comes just days after a poll showed the rapper would gain less than two per cent of votes were he to run against President Donald Trump and the presumptive Democratic nominee and former vice-president Joe Biden.
The rapper has previously publicly supported President Trump, wearing Make America Great Again hats and even visiting him at the White House.
West announced his candidacy earlier this month, tweeting: “We must now realise the promise of America by trusting God, unifying our vision and building our future. I am running for president of the United States.”
In an interview with Forbes, West said his party would be called the “Birthday Party” because “when we win, it’s everybody’s birthday”.