Kanye West says he wants to run for president in 2024, hints at changing name to 'Christian Genius Billionaire'
Rapper Kanye West has once again fueled rumors that he will be running for president in the near future and lay claim to the Oval Office as the country's second-ever black president.
The 42-year-old, who is one of the most-awarded artists of all-time, suggested he would be contesting the elections in 2024 — after, hopefully, a second-term for President Donald Trump — at the Fast Company Innovation Festival in New York City this past Thursday, November 7, according to PEOPLE.
Joined on stage by Yeezy collaborator Steven Smith, he started off with the topic of billionaires. "When people say it’s crass to call yourself a billionaire, I say I might legally change my name to Christian Genius Billionaire Kanye West for a year until y’all understand exactly what it is," he said. "It will be on the license plate."
It's here that he shifts the conversation towards his ambition to become commander-in-chief of the country.
Addressing the crowd, Kanye said, "When I run for president in 2024, we're going to definitely..." appearing to be irked when he's greeted with bursts of laughter from those gathered.
"Yo, whatchu all laughing at?" he asked. "When I run for president in 2024, we would've definitely created so many jobs that, in fact, I'm going to walk."
He also brought attention to the number of incarcerated African-Americans in the country and how celebrities are apparently being jailed.
"What I'm saying is, when y'all read the headlines, 'Kanye's crazy,' this and that, this and that, it's like one in three African Americans are in jail and all of the celebrities are in jail also because they can't say nothing!" he said. "They've got no opinion! They're so scared."
Kanye then proceeded to recall his 2005 claim that then-President George Bush "doesn't care about black people" in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, which resulted in an estimated 1,800 deaths and $125 billion in property damage. He laughed at the uproar the statement, which he rescinded in 2018, had caused at the time.
This is not the first time Kanye has hinted at the presidency. MEAWW reported that just last month, the 'Jesus is King' hitmaker proclaimed in an interview that "There will be a time when I will be the President of the US."
