NEED TO KNOW
- Kanye West spoke about his decision to support MAGA in the new In Whose Name? documentary
- “It’s about 1984 Orwell. It’s about mind control,” he said
- In 2019, West went on a Twitter rant, sharing his support of Trump throughout his presidency
Kanye West discussed his decision to support the “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) movement in the new In Whose Name? documentary.
Ahead of his 2018 Saturday Night Live appearance where he delivered a lengthy speech in support of President Donald Trump, the disgraced rapper spoke on the subject while claiming he was “literally inside of current slavery” leading up to the show.
“I’m literally inside of current slavery and bein’ like accosted by my own people to not free my mind,” said West, now 48, in the limited-release documentary, which features 3,000 hours of footage filmed over six years by director Nico Ballesteros.
The “Runaway” musician then spoke about the $80 million cost of getting his masters back and claimed “Prince couldn’t afford it.”
West then segued into his decision to wear a MAGA cap.
“When I wear the hat, it ain’t about every one of this man’s principles,” he said, referring to President Trump. “It ain’t about. It’s not about the detention centers, which we know were here through a bunch of presidents. It ain’t about [does] a 72-year-old white man give a f— about Black people?”
West added: “It’s about 1984 Orwell. It’s about mind control. It’s about Big Brother. It’s about if I use the word ‘Hitler’ am I not canceled? Do I lose my Adidas deal if I say the word ‘Hitler’ out loud?
West, who has a history of virulent antisemitism, was dropped by his talent agent in February following one of his antisemitic rants.
In 2019, West went on a Twitter rant, sharing his support of Trump throughout his presidency.
“One of my favorite of many things about what the Trump hat represents to me is that people can’t tell me what to do because I’m Black,” he wrote.
In October 2022 West began sharing antisemitic posts online, including a comment that he was going to go “death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE.” The incident led to a temporary suspension from X and restriction on Instagram, as well as the loss of brand deals with Adidas, Balenciaga and Gap. This past February, the rapper called antisemitism “just some bulls— Jewish people made up” and said in a since-deleted post that he’s “never apologizing” for his hateful comments.
West also spoke about his love of President Trump — whom he met at the White House in October 2018 to talk tax cuts, prison reform, mental health and racism — and his decision to wear a MAGA hat in a 2020 WSJ. Magazine cover story.
“I’m a Black guy with a red [MAGA] hat, can you imagine?” he said. “It reminded me of how I felt as a Black guy before I was famous, when I would walk in a restaurant and people would look at you like you were going to steal something. ‘This is your place, Ye, don’t talk about apparel. This is your place, Ye, you’re Black, so you’re a Democrat.'”
The rapper had publicly been a Trump supporter since November 2016, when he spoke about his position during a concert, although West admitted he did not in fact vote in the election. In April 2018 he called Trump “my brother” ahead of a visit to the White House that October, where he took a meeting with the president in the Oval Office. By July 2020, the rapper had announced that he himself was running for president, though West ultimately conceded that November.
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