Chapter Eight - Running for President

CHAPTER EIGHT

Running for President

BY 2020, KANYE West had done everything — sold millions of albums, built a billion-dollar brand, married into America’s most famous family.
So naturally, he decided the next step was running for President of the United States.

On July 4th, 2020, in the middle of a global pandemic and four months before Election Day, Kanye tweeted:

“I am running for President of the United States! #2020VISION”

At first, no one knew if it was a joke, a publicity stunt, or a genuine campaign.
Turns out, it was all three.

Kanye’s first — and only — campaign rally was held in North Charleston, South Carolina.
He showed up wearing a bulletproof vest with “SECURITY” printed on it, standing in front of a giant 2020 Vision banner.

What happened next was part political speech, part therapy session, part emotional breakdown.
He spoke about abortion, religion, Harriet Tubman, and his own family — sometimes through tears, sometimes screaming.

At one point, he revealed deeply personal details about nearly aborting his first child.
The crowd didn’t know whether to clap, cry, or walk out.

Because Kanye entered the race so late, his campaign scrambled to get him on ballots.
He missed deadlines in many states, barely made it in others, and ended up officially running in just 12 states.

The campaign staff was… unusual. Friends, random consultants, people who barely knew politics.
Some suspected the whole thing was a spoiler operation to siphon votes away from Joe Biden.

Kanye received around 60,000 votes nationwide — less than 0.04% of the total.

Still, he treated it as a stepping stone, tweeting simply:

“KANYE 2024.”

The run for president wasn’t just bizarre — it strained relationships.
Friends distanced themselves. The media framed it as proof that Kanye’s mental health was in crisis.
Kim reportedly urged him to drop out and seek help.

Kanye didn’t back down.
If anything, the campaign made him double down on being uncontrollable.