Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump praised Kanye West as “so great” on Thursday after the rapper suggested that he plans to run for president in 2020.
“You know what? I will never say bad about him, you know why? Because he loves Trump!” the real estate mogul said of the hip-hop superstar.
“Kanye West has been so great,” he added.
Trump was asked at a press conference about West’s possibly tongue-in-cheek presidential announcement, which was made during an acceptance speech at the MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday night. The “Yeezus” artist disclosed before making the presidential run public that he had engaged in drug use prior to his address to the crowd.
“He goes around saying ‘Trump is my all-time hero,’” the Republican candidate said of West. “He says it to everybody. So, Kanye West, I love him.”
Trump added that he might rescind his admiration for West if the 21-time Grammy winner follows through on his presidential ambitions.
“Now, maybe in a few years I will have to run against him, I don’t know. So I’ll take that back,” he said.
It's not clear to what degree West reciprocates Trump's admiration, although he has referenced the billionaire in his lyrics before, including one reference to "Donald Trump taking dollars from y'all."
West and his wife, Kim Kardashian, recently attended a private fundraiser for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. The trio snapped a selfie.
