Kanye West will not run for president in 2024, lawyer says
Kanye West will not be running for president in 2024, according to a statement from his lawyer.
The rapper, who now goes by Ye, first announced his intention to run for office back in 2019. He later conceded the 2020 presidential election, but said he would run in 2024.
His personal attorney, Bruce Marks, has now confirmed in a statement to Rolling Stone: “He’s not a candidate for office in 2024.”
His attorney is reportedly working on winding down the artist’s campaign. The decision to not run is also reflected in an October Federal Election Commission filing by Kanye 2020 – West’s political committee – which shows that there’s no money allocated to primary expenses in all 50 states from January to September this year.
Its recent reporting period also appeared to raise zero dollars, while the committee has less than $25,000 (£20,580) cash on hand.
Last year, West enlisted alt-right voice Milo Yiannopoulos to assist with his 2024 campaign. He left the campaign in December, amid reports that he’d been fired, before being rehired again in May.
West’s plans to run for president have been overshadowed by a year of controversy, having been condemned for a series of controversial anti-Semitic remarks last year, something that also resulted in him parting ways with sportswear brand Adidas.
Last year, Adidas cut ties after calling his inflammatory statements “unacceptable, hateful and dangerous”. West denied that they were racist remarks at the time.
Several other companies and organisations were reported to have cut ties with West, including his lawyer and booking agency.
Earlier this month, West reportedly filed several trademark applications for the use of ‘Yews’ earlier this month.
A trademark attorney, Josh Gerben, claimed that West has made 26 trademark filings though his company Ox Paha Inc. They report that the trademarks include filings across education, music streaming, television, games, clothing and more. A list of all the alleged filings can be found here.
The rapper is also working on new music, having debuted a new album at private listening party in Italy, according to reports.
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Hollie Geraghty
NME