Kanye West Officially Drops from the 2024 Presidential Race.
In a move confirmed by Kanye West’s personal attorney, Bruce Marks, the enigmatic rapper has officially withdrawn from the 2024 presidential race. Marks revealed this decision in an article published today, effectively marking the end of what had been a turbulent foray into politics for West.
This decision follows a Federal Election Commission filing from West’s 2020 political committee, which indicated no allocation of funds for primary expenditures from January to September 2023. The report also showed that the campaign had less than $25,000 in cash on hand. However, Marks did not provide further commentary on West’s exit from the political arena.
Kanye West’s political aspirations had always been unconventional. In 2020, he entered the race under the banner of his self-formed “Birthday Party,” joining so late that he appeared on the ballot in only 12 states. Despite a vast audience and self-funding his campaign with $9 million, West managed to garner a mere 60,000 votes in the election contested by Donald Trump and President Joe Biden.
Controversy surrounded West’s short-lived campaign, with claims in May that British commentator Milo Yiannopoulos was the “director of political operations” for West’s 2024 bid, raising legal concerns. Yiannopoulos had been labeled by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) as a “misogynistic, racist, xenophobic, transphobic troll.” However, reports suggest that he is no longer involved.
It’s important to note that West’s departure from the political scene did not come as a total surprise. In the past year, his music and fashion career was overshadowed by a series of anti-Semitic comments. Despite this, some industry figures, such as Adidas CEO Bjørn Gulden, who had cut ties with West, believed that the rapper “didn’t mean what he said.”
According to reports, West has now shifted his focus back to his music career. Industry insiders at Billboard have mentioned that he’s actively seeking a label to distribute an album created in collaboration with Ty Dolla $ign.
