The most shocking moment of Sunday's Video Music Awards wasn't the odd costumes of host Miley Cyrus; no, that title can only go to one person's surprise announcement: Kanye West and his run for the White House in 2020.
The story has been all over the place, including a nice "welcome to the race" tweet by the Democratic Party.
But what would a Kanye for President platform look like? Well, for one, we're guessing he'll run as a Democrat. We know he's thrown support and money behind President Obama, taken selfies with Hillary Clinton. Plus, there's this...
"George Bush doesn't care about black people," West famously said in a Hurricane Katrinatelethon.
If you've been paying attention, West has been dropping hints about his stance on divisive issues for years. So here is a 2020 platform for Kanye. Heads up, Yeezy has not approved this message.
Let's start with illegal immigration. In 2010, West said artists should boycott all performances in Arizona after the state's controversial immigration laws were signed. (Video via Universal Music)
And it's clear Kanye will join the 53 percent of Americans who want pot to be legalized. In his "presidential run announcement," Kanye said, "Y'all might be thinking right now, 'I wonder did he smoke something before he came out here?' The answer is yes. I rolled up a little something."
Just a quick search through some of Kanye's catalog and you'll see possible policy positions in his lyrics for a while, too. (Video via Universal Music)
He took on affordable health care in "Roses," saying, "You know the best medicine go to people that's paid. ... You telling me if my grandma's in the NBA, right now she'd be OK?" (Video via Universal Music)
And in his hit "Heard Em Say," he took on raising the minimum wage before President Obama signed an executive order. 'Ye said, "Before you ask me to get a job today, can I at least get a raise of the minimum wage?" (Video via Universal Music)
As far as issues of race, it's never been something he's shied away from. He's touched on the Jim Crow laws, racial inequalities in today's world and clapped back at critics of his interracial relationship with wife Kim Kardashian. (Video via Universal Music)
OK, so we're not completely sure if we'll ever see a "Kanye for America" campaign, but we took the liberty of picking his running mate anyway:
West-Swift 2020.
This video includes images from Getty Images.
