Kanye West has decided that he now wants to be called Ye. But on political matters, nothing has changed for the pro-Donald Trump rapper. Kanye — or, rather, Ye — announced the name change shortly before he appeared on Saturday Night Live, the widely watched television skit show. [caption id=“attachment_5295621” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] Kanye West on Saturday Night Live. Image via Twitter[/caption] The show’s season premiere opened with
Matt Damon playing Brett Kavanaugh in a parody of Thursday’s testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee on sexual assault claims. As the show ended, Kanye took the stage wearing a “Make America Great Again” baseball cap and made an unscripted pro-Trump speech after the credits rolled. Videos of the speech soon began to circulate on social media.
.@kanyewest speech after the “ghost town” SNL episode was cut off before he could finish.
— Ryan Fournier (@RyanAFournier) September 30, 2018
Here’s the clip you missed. It’s important. pic.twitter.com/PMmxzFPC9J
“So many times I talk to a white person about this and they say, ‘How could you like Trump? He’s racist,’” Kanye said. “Well, if I was concerned about racism, I would have moved out of America a long time ago.” He also accused the rival Democratic Party of seeking to keep people dependent on welfare payments and repeated his interest in running for president himself in 2020 — when Trump would face re-election. His speech was met with a smattering of applause but louder booing from the New York audience. President Donald Trump then panned Saturday Night Live but tweeted praise for West. Trump tweeted that he didn’t watch the show — it’s “no longer funny” and “is just a political ad for the Dems.”
Like many, I don’t watch Saturday Night Live (even though I past hosted it) - no longer funny, no talent or charm. It is just a political ad for the Dems. Word is that Kanye West, who put on a MAGA hat after the show (despite being told “no”), was great. He’s leading the charge!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 30, 2018
Kanye had also posted a photo of him in a MAGA baseball cap with the caption, “this represents good and America becoming whole again. We will no longer outsource to other countries. We build factories here in America and create jobs. We will provide jobs for all who are free from prisons as we abolish the 13th amendment.”
Avengers: Infinity War star Chris Evans called out Kanye after the rapper suggested that the US should abolish the 13th amendment, which outlaws slavery.
In an angry to response to the 41-year-old rapper’s post, Evans tweeted, “There’s nothing more maddening than debating someone who doesn’t know history, doesn’t read books, and frames their myopia as virtue. Kanye then clarified his comments, saying he wanted the 13th amendment to be amended and not abolished.
Kanye has stunned fans by becoming one of the few celebrities — as well as one of the only prominent African Americans — to support Trump. (With inputs from agencies)