"We must now realize the promise of America by trusting God, unifying our vision and building our future. I am running for president of the United States," West wrote in a Twitter post, adding an American flag emoji and the hashtag "#2020VISION".
We must now realize the promise of America by trusting God, unifying our vision and building our future. I am running for president of the United States 🇺🇸! #2020VISION
— ye (@kanyewest) July 5, 2020
It was not immediately clear if West was serious about vying for the presidency four months before the November 3 election or if he had filed any official paperwork to appear on state election ballots.
The deadline to add independent candidates to the ballot has not yet passed in many states.
Whatever it is, his announcement is seen as an apparent challenge to Trump and his presumptive Democratic rival, former Vice President Joe Biden. The US presidential election is scheduled to be held on November 3, 2020.
The rapper has frequently supported President Donald Trump and said in April that he was going to vote for him this fall. "I am not going to be told by the people around me and the people that have their agenda that my career is going to be over. Because guess what: I am still here!" he said.
West famously visited the Oval Office in October 2018, sporting a red "Make America Great Again" hat and saying, "I love this guy right here," while posing with Trump. His wife and reality TV star Kim Kardashian also visited the White House as an activist pushing for criminal justice reform.
At one meeting in October 2018, West delivered a rambling, profanity-laden speech in which he discussed alternative universes and his diagnosis of bipolar disorder, which he said was actually sleep deprivation.
Elon Musk, the chief executive of electric-car maker Tesla and another celebrity known for eccentric outbursts, endorsed West's Twitter post: "You have my full support!" he wrote.
