Trump says ‘not involved’ in Republican efforts to help Kanye West contest presidential election
- Trump praises the entertainer and his wife, Kim Kardashian, but claims to be in the dark on Republican efforts to help West get on presidential election ballot
- Rapper could serve as a spoiler in closely fought races and be used to steer votes away from the Democratic presidential candidate, Joe Biden
US President Donald Trump has attempted to put some breathing room between himself and Kanye West, claiming he is completely in the dark on Republican efforts to help the rapper get on November’s general election ballot.
Several Republican operatives with ties to Trump are openly helping West’s quixotic third-party 2020 bid, but the president says that his campaign is unaware of any such back-door dealings.
“Kim Kardashian, she’s got a good heart, a very good heart, and I like Kanye very much,” says Trump, referring to West’s wife, “but I have nothing to do with him getting on the ballot.”
Tim Murtaugh, Trump’s campaign communications director, offered a similar statement, saying: “We have no knowledge of anything Kanye West is doing or who is doing it for him.”
It’s sad to see a popular music artist like Kanye be used as a pawn to trick his own people and fans to vote for a fake campaign
The blanket denials came one day after Lane Ruhland, a Republican lawyer who has worked for the Trump campaign, delivered signatures to the board of elections in the US state of Wisconsin on behalf of West’s campaign to get him on the ballot in the state.
Ruhland is not alone. Republican lawyers with various ties to Trump’s campaign have also collected and delivered signatures for West in Ohio, West Virginia and Colorado. The Republican boost for West has sparked speculation that Trump is trying to use the rap star’s campaign as a tool to steer votes away from Joe Biden.