Is Kanye "Ye" West still running for president in 2024? All about Ye 2024

Los Angeles, California - Kanye "Ye" West has been quiet and noticeably missing from the public eye, but is he still planning to run for president in 2024?

Rapper Kanye "Ye" West has set his sights on running for president again in 2024, but as his last efforts failed, is he actually serious this time around?
Rapper Kanye "Ye" West has set his sights on running for president again in 2024, but as his last efforts failed, is he actually serious this time around?  © Collage: IMAGO / MediaPunch

After announcing he was jumping in the presidential race last year, Kanye immediately hit the ground running, making moves to show just how serious he was, including adding British conservative pundit Milo Yiannopoulos to his team.

In November, the rapper, joined by white supremacist and Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes, traveled to Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate for dinner, and to ask the former president to be his vice president.

Ye claims Trump reacted by "screaming at me at the table telling me I was going to lose."

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Shortly after the controversial meeting, Ye hired Fuentes to join his campaign.

The rapper first shared his political ambitions when he launched his first presidential campaign in 2020, and three years later it, seemed like that sentiment had not changed.

So what exactly is going on with Kanye and his campaign at this point, and is Ye 2024 still a thing?

Where the Ye 2024 campaign stands today

Kanye West has demonstrated in the past that he is serious about running, but recently his campaign has been plagued with infighting and financial issues.
Kanye West has demonstrated in the past that he is serious about running, but recently his campaign has been plagued with infighting and financial issues.  © Collage: IMAGO / UPI Photo & Matrix

Last year, West made a series of public antisemitic statements that cost him high profile business deals and friendships. He has taken such a hit financially that he lost his status as a billionaire.

His behavior has been increasingly erratic ever since as he has tried to evade the public eye, and seemingly hasn't shown much interest in his campaign.

In April, The Daily Beast reported that Ye allegedly told a filmmaker he was working with that he was "not focusing" on the political stuff, and he just wants "to be left alone."

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Despite this, the Ye 2024 campaign team continues to be plagued with internal issues and infighting.

Milo Yiannopoulos was fired in December following the Trump dinner, only to get rehired as manager earlier this month. His first move upon returning was to fire Nick Fuentes.

Both Yiannopoulos and Fuentes have been paid exuberant amounts of money since the campaign's inception, leading many to wonder what exactly West is spending his money on.

The team has also seen two treasures resign, with the most recent alleging Yiannopoulos may have committed fraud, although he has vehemently denied the accusation.

With Ye spending so much of what money he has left to fund his campaign, and with him having a history of sabotaging his own efforts, it has left fans and critics wondering if the rapper is even serious about running.

Is Kanye West serious about running in 2024?

Kanye West (r.) with then President Donald Trump meeting in the lobby of Trump Tower in Manhattan on December 13, 2016.
Kanye West (r.) with then President Donald Trump meeting in the lobby of Trump Tower in Manhattan on December 13, 2016.  © IMAGO / ZUMA Wire

Kanye's 2020 campaign was unsuccessful, to say the least. According to the BBC, West, running under his "Birthday Party," managed to only get 60,000 votes out of an estimated total of 160 million from US voters.

When asked about the name of his party, he said, "Because when we win, it's everybody's birthday party."

West only managed to get on the ballots of 12 out of 50 states, missing his chance in most states because he failed to meet filing deadlines.

All of this, and the current standing of his 2024 campaign, begs the question: Is Kanye West even serious about running?

At this point, he hasn't released any campaign ads, advocated any policy positions, held any events or rallies, or done anything to show that this time around he is actually serious about winning.

He has no campaign website, and can't stay on social media long enough without getting banned for hate speech. His public image is in shambles, as he has been deemed by many to be an antisemite - which would be next to impossible to sell to American voters.

West hasn't even officially filed with the Federal Exchange Commission to make his campaign official. The only thing he really has behind his campaign is a small legion of fans that excuse his hate speech, and give the impression that Ye 2024 is something to take seriously.

Despite these factors, West continues to funnel tons of money into the effort, reportedly paying large amounts to far-right provocateurs and white supremacists in an attempt to make some sort of statement. As someone who is no longer a billionaire, it will be interesting to see how long he can keep this up.

So Is Kanye still running for president in 2024? The short answer is yes, but the current momentum of his campaign does not appear to be sustainable. Only time will tell how far Ye is willing to take his political ambitions.

Cover photo: Collage: IMAGO / MediaPunch

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