'The absence of thought': TMZ journalist slams Kanye West to his face for saying slavery was 'a choice'

Controversial musician Kayne West joined TMZ Newsroom to try and rehabilitate his image after his tweetstorm praising President Donald Trump.

Harvey Levin asked West, who is married to Kim Kardishan, about the message he was trying to send by donning a "Make America Great Again" hat in support of President Trump.

"It was really just my subconscious, it was a feeling I had," West explained. "I just love Trump, that's my boy."

West expounded on his support for Trump by suggesting forced slavery is a conspiracy theory and that in practice, it was a choice by blacks.

"When you hear about slavery for 400 years, for 400 years? That sounds like a choice," West argued. "Like, you was there for 400 years and it's all of y'all?"

Not everyone was impressed with West continuing to defend Trump.

"I actually don't think you're thinking anything," shouted Van Lathan, from the TMZ newsroom, as he stood up. "I think what you're doing right now is actually the absence of thought."

"The rest of us in society have to deal with these threats to our lives," he reminded. "We have to deal with the marginalization that has come from the 400 years of slavery that you said, for our people, was a choice."

"Frankly, I'm disappointed, I'm appalled," Lathan continued. "And brother, I am unbelievably hurt by the fact that you have morphed into something, to me, that's not real."

"Bro, you got to be responsible man," he lectured the superstar.

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