Maxine Waters on Kanye West: He sometimes ‘talks out of turn’

by Josh Delk - 05/01/18 12:32 PM ET

Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) on Monday weighed in on Kanye West’s recent comments about President Trump, praising the rapper for his contributions to the African-American community while also saying he sometimes “talks out of turn.”

Waters, speaking to Politico on Monday during a meeting with Congressional Black Caucus members to discuss diversity in Silicon Valley, said that while the Grammy Award–winning artist “is a very creative young man,” he sometimes needs help to “formulate some of his thoughts.”

“Kanye West is a very creative young man who has presented some of the most revolutionary material in the African-American community,” Waters told Politico at the event. “But we also think that sometimes Kanye West talks out of turn and perhaps sometimes he needs some assistance in helping him to formulate some of his thoughts.”

“We don’t think that he actually means to do harm, but we’re not sure he really understands the impact of what he’s saying, at the time that he’s saying it and how that weighs on, particularly the African-American community — and for young people in general,” she added. “And I think maybe he should think twice about politics, and maybe not have so much to say.”

West caused a stir on social media last week when he tweeted his support for Trump, whom he called his “brother.”

“We are both dragon energy. He is my brother,” West tweeted.

Trump repeatedly touted West’s support, thanking the rapper on Twitter and praising West for doing “a great service to the Black Community.”