Kanye West is working to be a spoiler candidate for Vice President Joe Biden, pulling away Black voters from supporting the Democratic candidate with his own presidential run. But West's first rally didn't appear to go well.
Appearing in front of a half-full crowd and wearing a bullet-proof vest, West began by kicking out members of the audience for whispering during the event. He said that the only way that the country can "heal" is by instituting "order," which evidently means kicking people out for whispering at his rally.
Without a sound system to hear, much of the room likely were asking each other what West actually said.
1. West then said that Europeans have a higher tolerance for pain, though he didn't clarify what scientific study that came from or why it was a tenet of his presidential campaign.
2. The rapper explained why he became addicted to painkillers, saying that it was "like having an orgasm." He went on to tell the audience, "I was high as a motherfucker."
3. "Harriet Tubman never actually freed the slave, she just had the slaves go work for other white people," he said to groans from the audience. He went on to attack Rosa Parks as well.
4. "Steve Jobs is a Nazi!" West exclaimed though it appeared to be a response to a question from a member of the audience that could not be heard due to the lack of a sound system. Again, it's unclear where West is able to find his facts.
5. He then attacked his ex-girlfriend Amber Rose, who he called a "stripper" and said that he "dated her anyway."
6. "Let me explain something to liberals," he went on. "I backstroke to backlash." It appears to be a possible indication that he's only seeking attention and response from the progressive community.
7. As part of his rant about abortion, he said, "even if my wife were to divorce me after this speech, she brought North into the world, even when I didn't want to." As one person noted, Kim, West's wife, said that her husband was the one who wanted to have children.
8. "I don't give a f*ck whether I win the presidency or not," West also said.
9. "If I'm over, guess what else is over, the country is over," was another point West made.
10. Africa will pay women $1 million to have a baby. It was, again, unclear where that information came from.
11. West then confessed to possibly being high, at least the previous evening. "I did smoke a little bit last night," he said. That's why he is disorganized, he said. He then attacked Trump about marijuana, though it was difficult to make out his exact words. He concluded by saying that with marijuana, "we would be free."
12. "Shooting guns are fun," he said about his support for the Second Amendment.
13. "The solution for Big Pharma is that we need to make BIG FARMS!" He proclaimed, saying that it is time to move back to living off the land.
14. When he was asked by the audience about his Harriet Tubman remarks, he explained, "The Harriet Tubman things is, I'm sick of black iconography being used by white corporations."
Topics that West didn't address in his presidential campaign include the COVID-19 crisis, the recession, jobs and the economy, any stimulus package he thinks Congress should pass, domestic terrorism, the Russian bounty on American soldiers and many more serious issues the United States is facing.
See the full video of the event below: