Kanye West Reveals What Oprah Said To Him About Running For POTUS

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Kanye West at Milk Studios on June 28, 2016 in Hollywood, California. adidas and Kanye West announce the future of their partnership: adidas + KANYE WEST
Kanye West reveals Oprah Winfrey told him, "You don't want to be president."

Kanye West's episode on the Joe Rogan podcast has officially gone live and as expected, there's a whole lot of information to unpack. Of course, his run for president was among the many subjects they touched on. Ye explained that he felt it was his "calling" to be the "leader of the free world" before suggesting that he'd even consider running for Governor of California.

Kanye initially announced that he'd be running for president during the 2015 VMAs which he explained he had in mind for two days before the award show. The reception was mixed with some people supporting the move while others didn't think he was quite serious. 

Before initially announcing that he'd be running for president at the 2015 VMAs, the rapper revealed that he actually had a conversation with Oprah. If you recall, there was an outpour of support for Oprah Winfrey for president, especially after Trump was elected. Though he already had in mind that he'd announce his foray into politics at the end of the speech, Kanye found a lot of people not taking him seriously.

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"I remember running into Oprah two days after that and she was like, 'You don't want to be president,'" Kanye recounted. He explained that he's someone who's always accomplished what he set his mind on, using his billionaire status as an example.

Though the rapper does talk about his presidential ambitions in the podcast, he also explained his recent efforts to buy back his masters. The rapper explained that his next goal is to buy Universal, explaining that they're only $33B company and he's one of the best product producers of our time. 

Check out the interview below. 


About The Author
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.
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