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New York — Kanye West's sudden presence on Twitter has spurred a lot of conversation, confusion and concern.
The rapper/fashion designer reactivated his Twitter account earlier this month and has shared his thoughts on everything from Donald Trump, ping pong and his house, to writing a philosophy book, new music and his latest Yeezy designs.
Will it be Trump-West in 2020?
In a moment that seemed to encapsulate 2018's social media-driven blurring of celebrity and politics, President Donald Trump tweeted his thanks to rap superstar Kanye West on Wednesday for his recent and perhaps unexpected online support.
"Thank you Kanye, very cool!" the president posted in response to the tweets from West, who called the president "my brother."
SEE THE TWEET HERE:
West, the enigmatic hip hop provocateur, posted a series of tweets in support of the president, whom he visited at Trump Tower in December 2016 during the presidential transition.
"You don't have to agree with trump but the mob can't make me not love him. We are both dragon energy," West wrote on Wednesday. "He is my brother. I love everyone. I don't agree with everything anyone does. That's what makes us individuals. And we have the right to independent thought."
Later, West posted a photo of himself wearing one of Trump's signature red campaign "Make America Great Again" hats and showcased that the president had signed it. "MAGA!" Trump responded in another tweet, using the acronym for his slogan.
SEE THE TWEETS HERE:
West noted that his wife, reality star Kim Kardashian West, wanted him to clarify that he was not in lockstep with all the Republican president's positions.
"My wife just called me and she wanted me to make this clear to everyone," West wrote. "I don't agree with everything Trump does. I don't agree 100% with anyone but myself."
SEE THE TWEET HERE:
Some backlash
There was quick backlash to West on Twitter on Wednesday.
"Kanye doesn't care about black people," tweeted comedian Akilah Hughes.
But others were quick to embrace West.
Eric Trump, one of the president's sons, tweeted three American flags next to West's declaration of dragon energy. His brother Donald Trump Jr. appropriated Hillary Clinton's slogan, "#ImWithHer," when he retweeted a Kardashian West post in which she denounced the media for calling the rap superstar erratic. And InfoWars host Alex Jones, a conspiracy theory promoter, invited West onto his show.
SEE THE TWEETS HERE:
Running for president?
West has toyed with running for president himself and on Wednesday tweeted a poster of his face emblazoned with the slogan "Keep America Great" and "#Kanye2024."
SEE THE TWEET HERE:
Kim and Kris set the record straight!
Following some negative backlash, Kim and mother Kris Jenner took to Twitter to defend Kanye's choice of words.
Kim noted that the media's coverage of Kanye's tweets is "actually scary" noting that the way his opinions have been blamed on the state of his mental health is wrong and that he is, instead, just expressiong himself.
She added that she has very different opinions about Trumo but that she still supports her husband and his own opinions.
SEE THE TWEETS HERE:
Kris added her voice by retweeting and commenting on headlines about Kanye's tweets.
"Lies, Lies, Lies," Kris wrote along side one. Adding: "Nope...not true!" to another.
SEE THE TWEETS HERE:
Celebs distancing themselves
Following the flood of expressive tweets on the 40-year-old's Twitter account, fellow celebs have hit the unfollow button and offered their own feelings about the whole situation.
During an interview on radio station Hot97, actress/singer Janelle Monae summed up how she felt about Kanye's comments pertaining to slavery.
She said: "I believe in free thinking. But I don’t believe in free thinking if it is rooted in, or at the expense of the oppressed.
"If your free thinking is used as fuel by oppressors to continue to oppress black people, minorities, I think it’s bullshit and it’s not okay."
WATCH THE VIDEO HERE:
SEE A TWEET OF CELEBS WHO HAVE UNFOLLOWED KANYE:
(Source: Associated Press)
