Making Sense of Kanye West's Political Ambitions

*By Max Godnick* Kanye West was slinging optimistic platitudes last month, courting conservative thought leaders, and increasing his public profile. Could a trip to Iowa be next? The rapper's recent Twitter activity has caused some pundits to speculate about his political ambitions. In April, West expressed his "love" for President Trump and wore a "Make America Great Again" hat in [a photo](https://twitter.com/kanyewest/status/989222392630202368). He said he "likes the way" the right-wing commentator Candace Owens thinks, and released a new song with the lyric: "I know Obama was heaven-sent, but ever since Trump won, it proved that I could be president." West had teased a potential White House run in September 2015 at MTV's Video Music Awards, where he announced, "I have decided in 2020 to run for president." Last week, he appeared to postpone his plan, cryptically tweeting ["2024"](https://twitter.com/kanyewest/status/988984329295441921). "I could see him trying," said Brande Victorian, the managing editor of MadameNoire, a Black women's lifestyle site. "I mean, we didn't think Trump would be here." Republicans have embraced West's newly-public political musings. Donald Trump Jr. [tweeted a photo](https://twitter.com/DonaldJTrumpJr/status/990930382685196288) Monday of West with Owens and the conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Victorian said Tuesday in an interview with Cheddar she was skeptical that West could convince his fans to fully get behind conservatives. "You're asking virtually everyone who the party does not care about to all of a sudden have empathy for this group, which is nonsensical," she said. For full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/will-kanye-west-run-for-president).

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