One day historians will ask, “Do you remember where you were during the Kanye West and Donald Trump meeting in the Oval Office?”
We sure will, won’t we friends? As one of President Trump’s highest-profile celebrity supporters, rapper Kanye West attended a lunch at the White House on Oct. 11, 2018. Also at that meeting with the president: Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner, Kid Rock, and NFL Hall of Fame running back Jim Brown.
When it was West’s turn to speak, he launched into an expletive-laden and somewhat bizarre ten-minute stream of consciousness that touched on topics such as race relations in America, tax breaks, criminal justice, mental health reform, and Chicago. He even managed to namedrop his brand, Yeezy.
West also discussed his “Make America Great Again” hat — the signature fashion statement of Trump supporters. “They tried to scare me, my friends to not wear this hat, but this hat, it gives me power in a way. You know, my dad and my mom separated, so I didn’t have a lot of male energy in my home,” West said. “There was something about when I put this hat on it made me feel like Superman. You made a Superman — that’s my favourite superhero — you made a Superman cape for me.” The bromance continued as Trump and West hugged it out.
As expected, the celebrity takes came in hot. Here are some of the notable reactions to West’s meeting with Trump.
Jimmy Kimmel
The host of Jimmy Kimmel Live! viciously mocked West and Trump, telling his audience that he had no idea why they decided to allow cameras in the room to record the president sitting quietly while “an irrational madman rants and raves at him.”
“Not only was this a crazy conversation for this White House, this is the kind of conversation that would typically be held between people wearing hospital bracelets,” Kimmel quipped. “This is the kind of thing that happens on the subway in New York, not in the Oval Office. Watching this today, the only thing I could compare it to is Tom Hanks talking to Wilson the volleyball,” he said, referencing the film Cast Away.
Kimmel’s parting shot: “It’s like Trump was sitting across from his own Twitter account come to life.”
T.I.
After Kanye West made his controversial statements about abolishing the 13th Amendment (the amendment that abolished slavery), Atlanta-based rapper T.I. expressed support for West’s statements, arguing that the amendment “incentivizes mass incarceration.” However, after West’s meeting with Donald Trump, T.I. appears to have ended his quest to find common ground with his fellow musician.
In a lengthy Instagram post, T.I. said he’s been “extremely patient and made it a point to not jump to any premature conclusions about Ye’ & his antics,” but the meeting with Trump was the last straw. “I refuse to associate myself with something so vile, weak, & inconsiderate to the effect this has on the greater good of ALL OUR PEOPLE!!!!” T.I. even addressed West directly: “At one time it was a pleasure to work alongside you … now, I’m ashamed to have ever been associated with you.”
And in a message to Kanye’s fans and colleagues, T.I. said, “Don’t follow this puppet. Because as long as I’ve lived I’ve learned that it benefits a man nothing at all to gain the world, if to do so he must lose his soul. We just saw Mr. West’s Soul on auction. If you listen closely you can hear the tears of our ancestors hit the floor. All I can say is … I’ve reached my limits.”
Geraldo Rivera
Attorney and Fox News regular Geraldo Rivera pointed to political hypocrisy surrounding the Kanye West and Donald Trump Oval Office meeting. “Media loved #KanyeWest when he chastised George W. Bush’s inept performance during #HurricaneKatrina 2005. (“He doesn’t care about black people”). Now same media hates Kanye for praising @realDonaldTrump 2018. It’s politically incorrect for prominent black man to side w @POTUS.,” Rivera tweeted. Valid point there, Geraldo.
Four minutes later, the former investigative reporter tweeted: “Media praising @taylorswift13 for engaging on the side of Democrats in upcoming Mid-Term elections,” referencing Taylor Swift, who broke her political silence by endorsing Tennessee Democratic candidates Phil Bredesen for the U.S. Senate and Jim Cooper for the U.S. House of Representatives. “But same activism by #KanyeWest is damned as a ‘Minstrel Show’ that would cause Kanye’s late mother ‘to spin in her grave.’ Why the dual standard? Kanye supports @realDonaldTrump.” Yet another valid point.
(Excerpt) Read More at: NickiSwift.com