The internet is divided on whether Kanye West’s last-minute bid for the White House is genuine or not. West kick-started his official campaign for the 2020 presidential campaign via an unconventional rally at a conference hall in Charleston, South Carolina.
The rally, which was reportedly open to a select few and had no mention of the event on West’s official website, sparked several speculations.
West, a former supporter of Trump, showed up at the rally in a rather quirky hairdo -- with 2020 emblazoned at the back of his head. He sported a protective security vest and was repeatedly urging his audience to maintain silence in order for him to hear people and respond to the questions directed at him, West had decided to address the crowd without a microphone. West touched upon a host of uncomfortable topics as policy decisions off-the-cut, pornography, abortion and the like.
"Freedom does not come from an election. The freedom comes from you not loading up the pornography. The freedom comes from you not taking the Percoset," he said during the event that barely lasted beyond an hour.
Reiterating the need for sensitivity around the subject of abortion, a teary-eyed West opined that abortion must be legalized while struggling new mothers must be able to avail of financial support. West raised eyebrows when he suggested that “everybody that has a baby gets a million dollars”.
“The only thing that can free us is by obeying the rules that were given to us for a promised land,” West said. “Abortion should be legal because guess what? The law is not by God anyway, so what is legality?” he added.
West gave a peek into his personal life as he touched the topic, lauding wife Kim Kardashian for taking the bold move of going ahead and birthing North when he almost “killed” her. “I almost killed my daughter... even if my wife [Kim Kardashian West] were to divorce me after this speech, she brought North into the world, even when I didn't want to,” he said.
West also dropped a rather discomfited detail during the rally -- he was almost aborted at birth. “There would have been no Kanye West, because my dad was too busy,” he said. Emotions got the better of West when he spoke of the complications in his late mother’s cosmetic surgery which eventually led to her death.
The 43- year-old rapper had announced his candidacy on July 4, but missed the deadline to qualify for the ballot across several states. West will have to procure 10,000 signatures in order to appear on South Carolina's ballot by noon local time (18:00 BST) on Monday.
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