Kanye West Holds First Presidential Campaign Event, Slams Harriet Tubman

With “2020” shaved into his head Kanye West held his first presidential campaign event on Sunday in North Charleston, South Carolina. West went on a lengthy rant to the several hundred people in attendance and on live stream about controversial topics such as abortion and historical figure Harriet Tubman. 

Tubman, who is known for her work with the Underground Railroad in the mid 1800s, helped free a number of enslaved African Americans into the north of the United States. West commented on her actions saying Tubman “never actually freed the slaves, she just had them work for other white people.” 

West then explained that while he believes abortion should be legal, he thinks there should be financial help available to struggling mothers in order to decrease abortion rates. West gave an example: “Everybody that has a baby gets a million dollars.” 

West had missed the deadline to qualify to run for president in several states, but made it on to Oklahoma’s ballot after paying a $33,000 fee. For South Carolina, West needed 10,000 signatures by 12:00 p.m. on Monday. 

West tweeted, “If you’re a voter in South Carolina, please sign this petition to place me on the ballot   Sponsored by Ye  2020.” He then posted locations where petitions were located.

On Sunday, West took to Twitter to reveal a poster with a sketch of the White House and the words “The West Wing” written on it.

West had originally announced his presidential run on July 4 when he said, “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”

However, there has been confusion as to if West would actually follow through as one of his advisors Steve Kramer told New York Magazine last week that “He’s out” of the running.