Trump asked about Kanye presidential bid: ‘I like him. I like his wife’

President Trump on Wednesday addressed Kanye West’s attempts to mount a third-party bid for the presidency, saying he likes the rapper and his wife, Kim Kardashian West.

Asked at a press briefing about reports that West is being aided by Republican operatives in his efforts to get on swing state ballots, Trump responded, “I like him. He’s always been very nice to me.”

Trump denied any connection to West’s efforts, saying, “I get along with him very well. I like him. I like his wife.”

The president went on to praise Kardashian West for lobbying him to pardon or grant clemency to several Black Americans imprisoned for nonviolent offenses. Trump specifically named Alice Johnson, a Black woman sentenced to life in prison on nonviolent drug trafficking charges. The president commuted Johnson’s sentence in 2018 after lobbying by Kardashian West. 

President Trump on Kanye West: “I like him. He’s always been very nice to me.” pic.twitter.com/fnXMdl9ZPR

— The Hill (@thehill) August 5, 2020

Several figures with ties to the GOP have been named in connection with West’s attempts to get on the ballot. Gregg Keller, former executive director of the American Conservative Union, is listed as a contact for his campaign in Arkansas. Chuck Wilton, a Vermont convention delegate for the president, has also been linked to West’s campaign.

West filed to appear on the ballot in Wisconsin and Ohio this week. On Tuesday, he withdrew his petition to appear on the New Jersey ballot after signatures in his filing were challenged. Six of the 19 electors listed on his Ohio paperwork reportedly have the same address.

The musician has already missed the filing deadline in several states, including Florida, Texas and Michigan. The only national polling with West as an option shows him receiving 2 percent of the vote, to former Vice President Joe Biden’s benefit.