Oh Dear

Kanye West has doubled down on his praise for US President Donald Trump with a flurry of tweets featuring a signed Make America Great Again hat and several influential figures in the extended Trump-O-Sphere, and he even landed a retweet from the POTUS himself in the process.

After sharing several video clips from Dilbert creator, self-styled free-thinking guru, and Trump supporter Scott Adams, Kanye told his 27.8 million Twitter followers that nobody on Earth could stop him from loving the 45th President of the United States.

Why? Because of his “dragon energy.”

https://twitter.com/kanyewest/status/989179757651574784

Responding to waves of criticism for implicitly endorsing one of the most heavily maligned US leaders in living memory, Kanye said he cared less about Trump’s politics and more about his seeming disdain for public opinion.

https://twitter.com/kanyewest/status/989179949851463681

https://twitter.com/kanyewest/status/989180180659777536

Those messages received a quick intervention from his wife, Kim Kardashian.

https://twitter.com/kanyewest/status/989192498307219456

But two hours later, Kanye posted a photo of himself wearing a Make America Great Again cap.

https://twitter.com/kanyewest/status/989222392630202368

A signed Make America Great Again cap.

https://twitter.com/kanyewest/status/989227154993963009

That overtly political fashion statement drew ire and praise in equal measure, as fans and plain-old MAGA folks tried to conceptualise one of the biggest celebrities on the planet as a Trump supporter.

The name-dropping didn’t stop there. West said he’d be interested in meeting with Silicon Valley venture capitalist Peter Thiel, known for his own US $1.25 million donation to the Trump campaign.

https://twitter.com/kanyewest/status/989227852162785280

Then, this happened.

As followers began to square away Kanye’s statements, Kim stepped in to remind the braying masses that people are entitled to controversial opinions without being labelled mentally ill.

She also made it patently clear that she doesn’t endorse all of his views, and especially not the ones regarding Trump.

Despite a career chock full of controversial political statements – it’s been 13 years since he said on national television that President George W. Bush didn’t care about black people, and a year since he actually met Trump – Kanye’s latest move still feels momentous, and only too fitting for a figure whose entire career has been built on defying expectations.

Watch this space. Things could get much more interesting.

https://twitter.com/kanyewest/status/989228791976284160

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