Kanye West Has Dropped Almost $6 Million On His Presidential Campaign, Despite These Massive Obstacles

Kanye West’s long-shot presidential bid continues to unfold before American citizens’ very eyes. The billionaire musician and entrepreneur has flirted with the idea of running for president for several years and has now finally begun taking the steps to make it a reality. 

West initially announced his plans to run for president in July 2020, and since then has been working with numerous political consultancies to get on the ballot in each state. Although he has been getting mixed results from his efforts, he continues to push forward with his presidential bid and has spent just shy of $6 million on his campaign. 

Kanye West announced his presidential campaign in July 2020

Kanye West initially hinted at running for president at the end of the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards, when he said “And yes, as you probably could have guessed by this moment, I have decided in 2020, to run for President.” West also alluded to his political aspirations on several records, including the “Facts” Charlie Heat remix from his 2016 album The Life of Pablo. On the song, he simply states: “2020, I’ma run the whole election, yah!”

Only July 4, Kanye West announced to the world that he plans to run in the 2020 November election, claiming that he will run as a representative of the “Birthday Party,” according to CNN. Since the announcement, he’s made several public appearances to promote his candidacy, the most notable being a rally he held in South Carolina. During the bizarre event, he claimed that Harriet Tubman never actually freed slaves and that he and his wife Kim Kardashian-West had considered aborting his first child, North West. 

Numerous political officials believe West’s campaign is merely a distraction

Although West has clear intentions to win the election, many political pundits believe his bid is merely a distraction from the election’s primary candidates, Donald Trump and Joe Biden. Officials believe that West’s campaign has the power to influence the outcome of the election, as he may be siphoning votes away from Democratic candidate Biden. West did not deny this reality in a recent interview with Forbes.

“I’m not denying it, I just told you,” West said. “To say that the Black vote is Democratic is a form of racism and white supremacy.”

Advocates working in the mental health sector also believe the campaign is unscrupulous due to the fact that West recently revealed he has bipolar disorder. Bassey Ikpi, an author living with bipolar disorder, claims: “That’s what they’re doing with Kanye. They’re not considering him a human being. They’re considering him a pawn.”

West has spent millions on his campaign thus far

Despite the naysayers, West continues to push forward. He has spent $5.86 million on his campaign thus far, according to the Hollywood Reporter. The bulk of that money has gone to consultants and fees, although the campaign currently has debts of more than $1.2 million. West himself has loaned $6.7 million to his campaign, and he’s received several miniscule donations from regular citizens. 

At this point, several political officials confirm that it’s mathematically impossible for West to win the election in November. He’s currently only registered for the ballot in 10 states and has been blocked from the ballot in Virginia and Arizona. Still, West seems undeterred, claiming “I’m not going to argue with you. Jesus is King.”