KANYE WEST HAS DROPPED OUT OF 2020 PRESIDENTIAL RACE, REPORTS SUGGEST

The Independent 15 July 2020 - by Isobel Lewis

© Evan Agostini/Invision/AP File - In this Nov. 6, 2019, file photo, Kanye West attends the WSJ. Magazine 2019 Innovator Awards at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Officials in Wyoming have received a building permit application from Kanye West for a proposed amphitheater on property owned by the rapper. West recently announced that he plans to move the headquarters of his shoe and clothing company, Adidas Yeezy, to Cody. He also wants to build a 70,000-square-foot amphitheater on his 4,000-acre ranch. The Cody Enterprise reports the Park County Planning and Zoning Commission plans to discuss the proposal. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)

Kanye West has reportedly dropped out of the 2020 presidential race less than two weeks after announcing his bid for the White House.

On Tuesday (14 July), Steve Kramer, a member of West’s campaign team, told Intelligencer that after amassing a 180-strong campaign team in Florida, the rapper would allegedly no longer be contesting the election.

“He’s out,” Kramer said, telling the publication that he was in the process of getting “all our stuff cancelled”.

He later added: “I have nothing good or bad to say about Kanye... Any candidate running for president for the first time goes through these hiccups.”

© 2020 Pierre Suu PARIS, FRANCE - MARCH 01: (EDITORIAL USE ONLY) Kanye West attends the Balenciaga show as part of the Paris Fashion Week Womenswear Fall/Winter 2020/2021 on March 01, 2020 in Paris, France. (Photo by Pierre Suu/Getty Images)According to the report, West had attempted to get his name on the ballot as a third-party candidate, but needed to collect 132,781 signatures by Wednesday (15 July) to be eligible to run in Florida.

Kramer later told Intelligencer that staff were told the drive to get on the ballot was over on the same day that West shared a picture of himself registering to vote in Wyoming.

The Independent has approached West’s representatives for comment.

The reports come just days after a US presidential poll suggested that the “Stronger” rapper would gain less than two per cent of votes were he to run against President Donald Trump and presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden.

West announced his candidacy on 4 July, tweeting: “We must now realise the promise of America by trusting God, unifying our vision and building our future. I am running for president of the United States.”