Hitting the campaign trail! Kanye West will host his first presidential rally in South Carolina just two weeks after announcing his candidacy for president.
The event will be held at the Exquis Event Center in Charleston, South Carolina, on Sunday, July 19. Attendees are required to wear face masks and must observe social distancing rules due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The “Famous” rapper, 43, asked his fans on Saturday, July 18, to get him on the ballot in South Carolina, adding a list of eight venues and a link to his political website, kanye2020.country.
“Hi guys please sign up to put me on the ballot in South Carolina at any of these locations,” he tweeted. “You can also sign up at the website.”
West announced that he planned to run for president on July 4. “We must now realize the promise of America by trusting God, unifying our vision and building our future. I am running for president of the United States! #2020VISION,” the “Runaway” rapper tweeted at the time.
The Grammy winner filed a statement of candidacy with the Federal Election Commission last week with his party affiliation listed as “BDY.” He revealed in an interview with Forbes he would be running under the “Birthday Party.”
Us Weekly confirmed on Wednesday, July 15, that West was added to the ballot in Oklahoma. He had previously missed the deadlines to be placed on the ballots in Indiana, New York and Texas.
A source told Us earlier this month that West has been “planning this for years” and his wife, Kim Kardashian, has been “supportive” of his aspirations.
“Kanye is passionate about arts and education and wants to support in any way he can,” the insider said.
West told Forbes on July 8 that he plans to use the fictional kingdom of Wakanda from the Marvel film Black Panther as a blueprint for running the United States.
“It’s the best explanation for what our design group is going to feel like in the White House,” the Yeezy fashion designer said.
Later that day, a source detailed West’s stance on some political issues. “Kanye believes in supporting big-business tax breaks but also more stimulus and opportunities for minorities and Black people,” the insider explained. “He believes in massive education reform and wants to build world-class infrastructure projects.”
West has been an avid supporter of Donald Trump telling GQ Magazine in May that he would “definitely” be voting for the 74-year-old business mogul. However, the “Wash Us in the Blood” rapper told Forbes earlier this month that he no longer supports Trump.
