Yeezy has spoken. Days after announcing his White House bid, Kanye West discussed everything from his political ambitions to the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccinations in an explosive new interview.
While speaking with Forbes, the rapper, 43, admitted that, despite his sudden interest in running for office, he has never voted in his life. In fact, he was not even a registered voter until Monday, July 6.
“The reason why this is the first day I registered to vote is because I was scared,” West said over what the magazine described as “four rambling hours” of phone interviews from his ranch near Cody, Wyoming, on Tuesday, July 7. “I was told that if I voted on [Donald] Trump my music career would be over. I was threatened into being in one party. I was threatened as a celebrity into being in one party. I was threatened as a Black man into the Democratic party.”
The sneaker designer tweeted on Saturday, July 4, that he is “running for president of the United States” in 2020. However, with only four months until Election Day, he has yet to officially file campaign paperwork.
With that said, West has a plan in mind. He noted to Forbes that he has the support of his wife, Kim Kardashian, and tech entrepreneur Elon Musk, both of whom tweeted support for him on Saturday.
“We’ve been talking about this for years,” he said of the Tesla and SpaceX CEO, 49. “I proposed to him to be the head of our space program.”
And while West’s sudden political venture has raised many a eyebrows, he denied that it is a publicity stunt for his upcoming album, God’s Country. (The lead single, “Wash Us in the Blood” featuring Travis Scott, dropped on June 30.)
“I give my album away for free,” the billionaire insisted.
Sign up for Us Weekly's free, daily newsletter and never miss breaking news or exclusive stories about your favorite celebrities, TV shows and more!
Scroll down for five revelations from West’s interview with Forbes.