French President Emmanuel Macron delivered a speech to Congress today. I mention it because you probably forgot all about it in the midst of Kanye West's Twitter buzz. Soon after Macron finished his speech, West boldly began tweeting in defense of President Trump. He had already been on the media's radar for defending conservative Fox News host Candace Owens.
Here's the tweet that got everyone paying attention today.
You don't have to agree with trump but the mob can't make me not love him. We are both dragon energy. He is my brother. I love everyone. I don't agree with everything anyone does. That's what makes us individuals. And we have the right to independent thought.
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) April 25, 2018
At one point, West even posted a photo wearing one of those iconic Make America Great Again hats.
Trump noticed West's public support and thanked him in kind.
Thank you Kanye, very cool! https://t.co/vRIC87M21X
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 25, 2018
Several tweets later and West has moved on to taking former President Obama to task. The 44th president's policies, West said, did nothing to change Chicago.
Obama was in office for eight years and nothing in Chicago changed.
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) April 25, 2018
Presumably, he meant the staggering gun violence in Chicago. Statistics offer the tweet some credence. Obama championed several gun control measures while in office, but Chicago's crime rate continued to skyrocket.
West's Twitter rhetoric appears to have emboldened other artists to share their own political musings. Chance the Rapper, who is the Grammys' reigning Best New Artist, retweeted several of West's tweets. He then shared a simple, yet powerful message of his own.
Black people don’t have to be democrats.
— Chance The Rapper (@chancetherapper) April 25, 2018
Just a few days ago, another artist, Shania Twain, told The Guardian she would have voted for Trump if she was an American citizen. She walked back her remarks and apologized. West, however, has been doubling down on his initial comments and tweeting nonstop.