Kanye West Rants About Black People Being ‘Distracted’ by Racism, Why He Would Have Voted Trump

 

During a Nov. 17 stop in San Jose, California, on his Saint Pablo tour, rapper Kanye West revealed that he would have voted for Trump.

The news comes as a shock to fans because West has a history of calling out racism. Back in 2005, during a live fundraiser for Hurricane Katrina victims, he said that President George Bush was racist for his lackluster response to the natural disaster.

In the clip above, he tells his loyal fans that he did not vote, but Hillary Clinton would have not been his pick if he did. “I said something that was kind of politically correct. I told y’all I didn’t vote, right? What I didn’t tell you … If I were to have voted, I would have voted on Trump …”

Additionally, the Chicago rapper said that the 2016 election has illuminated racism in the nation. In the last moments of his performance, Kanye insisted that everyone already knew there was racism to begin with and it did not matter what candidate was more racist.

“… Specifically to Black people, stop focusing on racism. This world is racist, okay? Let’s stop being distracted. … It’s just a f—ing fact. This is a racist country. Period!”

This revelation came days after West stated his interest in running for president in 2020.

Democracy needs journalism it can trust.

This election season, the stakes are higher than usual — and so is the pressure on newsrooms to soften their coverage, stay quiet, or just disappear. Independent reporting, the kind that answers to readers instead of advertisers or political pressure, matters more in a moment like this, not less.

For over 14 years, Atlanta Black Star has stayed independent and reader-funded. We have no corporate owner and no shareholders telling us what to cover or how to cover it. That independence is also our biggest vulnerability: nothing protects it except readers choosing to fund it directly.

Newspaper ad revenue has fallen more than 80% since 2005, and local newsrooms are closing at a rate of roughly two a week nationwide. When outlets go under in a moment like this, it's rarely the independent, reader-funded ones that get to stick around.

We know a request for support isn't why you came here. But without readers choosing to fund this work directly, the depth of reporting we can do at home and abroad shrinks along with everyone else's. If you're not in a position to give, that doesn't change how much we value you as a reader.

If you are able to, a recurring contribution does more for us than a single one-time gift, because it lets us plan the next investigation instead of just the next invoice. It takes about 30 seconds, no long form, no account. Thank you for continuing to support independent journalism and freedom of the press.

Back to top