Oh, Yeezus: Trump and Kanye West trade Twitter love
NEW YORK — Trump-West 2020?
In a moment that seemed to encapsulate 2018’s social media-driven blurring of celebrity and politics, President Donald Trump tweeted his thanks to rap superstar Kanye West on Wednesday for his recent and perhaps unexpected online support.
“Thank you Kanye, very cool!” the president posted in response to the tweets from West, who called the president “my brother.”
West, the enigmatic hiphop provocateur, posted a series of tweets in support of the president, whom he visited at Trump Tower in December 2016 during the presidential transition.
“You don’t have to agree with trump but the mob can’t make me not love him. We are both dragon energy,” West wrote Wednesday. “He is my brother. I love everyone. I don’t agree with everything anyone does. That’s what makes us individuals. And we have the right to independent thought.”
Later, West posted a photo of himself wearing one of Trump’s signature red campaign “Make America Great Again” hats and showcased
that the president had signed it. “MAGA!” Trump responded in another tweet, using the acronym for his slogan.
West noted that his wife, reality star Kim Kardashian West, wanted him to clarify he was not in lockstep with all the Republican president’s positions.
“My wife just called me and she wanted me to make this clear to everyone,” West wrote. “I don’t agree with everything Trump does. I don’t agree 100% with anyone but myself.”
West lent an air of celebrity to Trump, who has not been nearly as popular among movie and music stars as his Democratic predecessor, Barack Obama. He complained about struggling to lure big-name talent to his inauguration.