Rapper and producer Kanye West recently came on the Joe Rogan Experience where he went into detail about his controversial presidential bid, reported The Hollywood Reporter. After being asked right off the bat as to why he is running for office in spite of having a successful music career, West shared that the idea was revealed to him by God.
"It is something that God put on my heart back in 2015." He went on to say, "A few days before the MTV Awards, it hit me in the shower. And when I first thought of it, I just started laughing to myself, all this joy came over my body, through my soul. I felt that energy, I felt that spirit."
The I Love It hit-maker also addressed the backlash he has received and how the media has ridiculed him over his decision. "I remember running into Oprah one or two days after that (presidential bid announcement), she’s like, ‘you don’t want to be president,'" recalled West. Adding on, West told Rogan that his go-to response to "naysayers" has always been about reminding them of his accomplishments.
"Well, I’ll definitely be a billionaire by that time, and not that that’s a reason why someone should become president, but it’s to say, you know, at that time I was around 50 million dollars in debt, and I knew I had the confidence that I would be able to turn that around," he said.
Additionally, the Stronger singer revealed that it was Donald Trump's election win that motivated him to run for office. "When I saw Trump win, [I could see] that you can win if you come from outside of politics." West briefly alluded to Ronald Reagan, pointing out that the late actor and politician was also too young at the time he ran for office.
Rogan in response commented that Reagan was governor before, to which West said, "I believe that my calling is to be the leader of the free world."
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