Saying 'I've been used,' Kanye West distances himself from politics

Trump’s biggest celebrity supporter also distanced from campaign encouraging black Americans to quit Democratic Party

LOS ANGELES: Three weeks after a bizarre White House meeting with US President Donald Trump, rapper Kanye West said on Tuesday he was distancing himself from politics.

West, Trump’s biggest celebrity supporter, also sought to distance himself from a new campaign that encourages black Americans to quit the Democratic Party.

PHOTO: CONSEQUENCES OF SOUND

“My eyes are now wide open and now realise I’ve been used to spread messages I don’t believe in. I am distancing myself from politics and completely focusing on being creative!!!” West tweeted, without mentioning Trump, who is a Republican, or any other names.

https://twitter.com/kanyewest/status/1057382916760707072

The singer and fashion designer, who has said he is bipolar, also said he “never wanted any association” with a campaign launched last weekend called Blexit that seeks to draw African-Americans away from their long-standing support for Democrats.

US President-elect Donald Trump and musician Kanye West pose for media at Trump Tower in Manhattan, New York City, US, December 13, 2016. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly

West, 41, was linked to the campaign after its leader, conservative activist Candace Owens, said he had designed the logo for the movement’s hats and T-shirts.

“I introduced Candace to the person who made the logo and they didn’t want their name on it so she used mine,” West tweeted on Tuesday. “I have nothing to do with it.”

https://twitter.com/kanyewest/status/1057382888520499201

West posted his comments just a week before US congressional elections on November 6 and after months of erratic behavior, including describing slavery as a choice.

On October 11, he met Trump in the Oval Office and launched into a rambling 10-minute-long speech carried live on television in which he said Trump made him feel like a superhero, and referenced the existence of an alternate universe.

Have something to add to the story? Share it in the comments below.