Kanye West Implies His GOP-Backed Campaign Is Intended To Hurt Biden
Over the last few days, reports have emerged in outlets like The New York Times New York magazine, Vice, and CNN that Kanye West’s presidential campaign is being aided by Republican operatives, some linked with Trump’s camp, in an effort to get West on the ballot in select states, including ones that could prove pivotal in the next election.
Today, in an interview conducted with Forbes over text message, West was asked whether he was running in order to take votes away from Joe Biden. He did not deny it, and replied that he was “walking … to win.” When told that it wasn’t possible for him to feasibly win in 2020 and that he was essentially operating a spoiler campaign, West replied: “I am not going to argue with you. Jesus is King.”
Last month, Forbes published an extensive interview with West in which he was also asked whether he was OK with siphoning votes from the Democratic nominee to help Trump and he responded: “I’m not denying it, I just told you.”
So far, West has only successfully secured a spot on the Colorado ballot, as The Hill reports. He has filed to appear on the Ohio, Wisconsin, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Missouri ballots, but has yet to be approved. He also filed in New Jersey, but withdrew his petition after being accused of election fraud. Illinois officials are also investigating a petition he filed over fraudulent signatures.
A couple weeks ago, Kanye West held a “presidential rally” in Charleston, SC. He will not be on the ballot in that state.
In a press conference on Wednesday at the White House, Trump said: “I like Kanye very much. I have nothing to do with him being on the ballot. I’m not involved.”
On Thursday night, West tweeted: “THE GOAL IS TO WIN.”