When rapper Kanye West revealed that he plans to run for president in the 2020 US elections, a lot of people did not take him seriously, including President Barack Obama.
When the President attended a recent West Coast fundraiser, which had Kanye as guest performer, Obama was asked what he thought of Kanye's announcement of his plan to run for president during the MTV Video Music Awards last month. According to NBC News, Obama gave some advice, albeit sarcastically.
"I do have some advice for him," Obama said. "Just some stuff that I've picked up on the way."
His first tip might have been intended as a jab at leading Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and his former television show called "The Apprentice."
"First of all, you've got to spend a lot of time dealing with some strange characters who behave like they're on a reality TV show," said Obama. "So you've just to be cool with that."
The President's next tip referenced Kanye's fifth studio album called "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy." Obama said the album sends a wrong message since Americans wouldn't want someone who has a "beautiful dark twisted fantasy" running their country.
"That's what's known as 'off-message' in politics," Obama said. "You can't say something like that. There are a lot of people who have lost their congressional seats saying things like that."
Lastly, Obama does not think that West has what it takes to be elected president given his nickname. "Do you really think that this country is going to elect a black guy from the South Side of Chicago with a funny name to be president of the United States?" Obama asked. "That is crazy. That's crazy!"
If not the presidency, Kanye also aspires to become the next speaker of the House, and Obama thinks that the idea is simply absurd. "Couldn't get any stranger," he laughingly said.
