Kanye West spent the afternoon with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office, and before a “working lunch” launched into an insane rant. The internet went nuts.
During West’s remarks, which were broadcast nearly uninterrupted by cable news channels, West said his pro-Trump MAGA hat makes him feel like Superman, saying that Hillary Clinton’s “I’m With Her” message didn’t resonate with him. He also seemed to allude to Caitlyn Jenner coming out as transgender, saying he married into a family that does not have a lot of “male energy.”
He also talked about prison reform in the frame of “alternate universes,” and said he’s going to work with Apple to build an airplane.
West reiterated his remarks from last month, when he called for the abolishment of the 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery. The rapper called it a “trap door” and seemed to believe that the 13th Amendment leads to imprisonment. He doubled down, retracting his claim that he didn’t mean “abolish” when he first tweeted the word.
President Trump told reporters that West is a “smart cookie,” and “gets it.”
“Let’s stop worrying about the future all we have is today,” West said at one point. “Trump is on his hero’s journey right now. He might not have thought he’d have a crazy mother-fucker like (me),” in the Oval Office.
Um?
No idea:
West said when he announced “George Bush doesn’t like Black people,” he was “programmed to think from a victimized mentality.”
A White House pool reporter noted: “He is currently on an extended soliloquy that included saying he Has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Said that was a mis-diagnosis and he is sleep-deprived.”
Then, Trump wrapped it up: “Let’s go have some lunch.”
MSNBC’s Ali Velshi called it “bonkers,” and Stephanie Ruhle called it “an assault on our White House.” Ruhle focused on the fact that West focused on the “male energy” associated with the MAGA slogan and gave him “balls.”
The internet exploded. Some reactions: