Kanye West for 2020? White House welcomes rapper's political bid

Kanye West reacts as he accepts the video vanguard award at the MTV Video Music Awards at the Microsoft Theater on Sunday, Aug. 30, 2015, in Los Angeles. Matt Sayles/Invision/AP

ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE — Kanye West for 2020? The White House says it is anticipating the rapper's potential bid for president.

West claimed he would run for president while accepting the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award at the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards Sunday.

READKanye West rants at VMAs: He got high, is running for president

White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest says of the announcement that he looks "forward to seeing what slogan he chooses to embroider on his campaign hat." Earnest was traveling aboard Air Force One with the president to Alaska.

This isn't the first time the outspoken Chicago rapper has dabbled in talk of politics.

West is noted for criticism of President George W. Bush and the federal government's response after Hurricane Katrina. He has also compared the world's fascination with his wife Kim Kardashian to that of the first lady.

Show comments