Kanye West Hints at Another Presidential Run

Rapper Kanye West, seen in this February 10, 2020, file photo Jean-Baptiste Lacroix AFP/File
Rapper Kanye West, seen in this February 10, 2020, file photo Jean-Baptiste Lacroix AFP/File
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Kanye West Hints at Another Presidential Run

Rapper Kanye West, seen in this February 10, 2020, file photo Jean-Baptiste Lacroix AFP/File
Rapper Kanye West, seen in this February 10, 2020, file photo Jean-Baptiste Lacroix AFP/File

The rapper and fashion designer Kanye West has suggested he will run for president in 2024 and wants Donald Trump to be his running mate.

The artist, who goes by the name Ye, posted Thursday a swirling symbol on his Twitter account with "Ye" and the number 24, apparently representing 2024, the year of the next US presidential election.

Then the rapper posted a video of himself speaking about a recent meeting with the former president in Florida, AFP said.

"I think the thing that Trump was most perturbed about (was) me asking him to be my vice president," West said.

"Trump started basically screaming at me at the table, telling me I'm going to lose," West said. "I'm like, hold on Trump, you're talking to Ye."

Trump, who tried to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election he lost to Joe Biden, said November 15 that he would run again in 2024. Trump's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the Ye remarks.

The artist posted two days ago that he had visited Trump at Mar-a-Lago, his palatial Florida home.

"Can't believe I kept President Trump waiting," he posted on Twitter.

"What you guys think his response was when I asked him to be my running mate in 2024?"

It was not clear whether the rapper was serious about his intentions -- or if he sought publicity after a spate of PR moves that put him in a negative light.

West is a veteran at garnering publicity -- and dabbling in politics. He ran for president in 2020, but got fewer than 70,000 votes, coming in seventh place.

Last month, German sportswear giant Adidas severed its lucrative tie-up with West after the star made anti-Semitic statements.

Adidas later said the termination of ties with West had forced it to slash its forecast of net income for 2022 by half. West had helped Adidas develop its successful "Yeezy" line of clothing.

Paris fashion house Balanciaga and US clothing retailer Gap have also ended ties with West, who appeared at a Paris fashion show last month wearing a shirt with the slogan "White Lives Matter," a rebuke to the Black Lives Matter racial equality movement.



Comic-Con Fans Assemble as Marvel Eyes Major Reboot 

Convention attendees blur past a wall of illustrated Marvel superhero characters during preview night for Comic-Con International, Wednesday, July 24, 2024, in San Diego. (AP)
Convention attendees blur past a wall of illustrated Marvel superhero characters during preview night for Comic-Con International, Wednesday, July 24, 2024, in San Diego. (AP)
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Comic-Con Fans Assemble as Marvel Eyes Major Reboot 

Convention attendees blur past a wall of illustrated Marvel superhero characters during preview night for Comic-Con International, Wednesday, July 24, 2024, in San Diego. (AP)
Convention attendees blur past a wall of illustrated Marvel superhero characters during preview night for Comic-Con International, Wednesday, July 24, 2024, in San Diego. (AP)

Comic-Con returns in full force to San Diego this week, where a hugely anticipated Marvel superhero film event is among the draws for tens of thousands of hyped-up fans dressed as fantasy heroes and sci-fi villains.

One of the world's largest pop culture events, Comic-Con began five decades ago as a humble comic book-themed gathering in a hotel basement, but today draws vast crowds and A-list stars promoting new movies and television shows.

Last year's edition was dampened by Hollywood strikes -- which prevented actors from attending, and quelled fan interest -- but Comic-Con is expected to draw 130,000 attendees back to the southern Californian city this time around.

The hottest ticket is the Saturday night Marvel movies presentation, at which parent company Disney is expected to unveil plans to reboot its mega-grossing superhero film franchise, after years of high-profile missteps.

The Marvel movies dominated Hollywood and global box offices for years, with 2019's "Avengers: Endgame" briefly becoming the highest-grossing film of all time at more than $2.79 billion.

But the past few years have brought more flops than hits, as fans complained about over-complicated plotlines and mourned the departure of favorite characters like Robert Downey Jr's "Iron Man."

And the franchise has been rocked by domestic violence revelations about actor Jonathan Majors, who had been set to become the major new supervillain across multiple films.

Majors, who was convicted for assaulting and harassing his then-girlfriend, has been dropped by Marvel, but there is no word on who -- or what -- will replace him.

Saturday's presentation is expected to reveal how Disney will move forward without him, and has been billed as a potential "make or break" moment by some observers.

It will take place inside the 6,000-capacity Hall H, where many camp in line for days to gain access.

"If the company wants to lure in anyone besides the dwindling ranks of... diehards, it needs to bring the answer to these questions to Hall H," wrote Susana Polo, for entertainment news outlet Polygon.

- Aliens, Deadpool and Ancient Rome -

Also on the Comic-Con lineup from Disney are a look at "Alien: Romulus," the latest in the long-running sci-fi saga, and a "celebration" event for this weekend's major superhero release, "Deadpool & Wolverine."

Rival studio Warner, which runs the DC superhero movies, is keeping a lower profile, but will offer a glimpse at its Batman spinoff TV series "The Penguin," starring Colin Farrell.

Elsewhere, "Those About To Die," a bloody romp through Ancient Rome and its macabre world of chariot races and gladiator fights, starring Anthony Hopkins, will host multiple fan events.

Amazon's Prime Video will lift the lid on the second season of its "Lord of the Rings" television series, which aims to improve on the mixed reviews for its hugely expensive debut season two years ago.

And following the success of recent video game adaptations for the small screen such as "Fallout" and "The Last of Us," Amazon will take viewers into the underworld of Japanese crime lords with "Yakuza: Like a Dragon," based on the hit games from Sega.

But for many, Comic-Con is primarily a place to dress up as Disney characters or fearsome samurai warriors, and meet with like-minded fans to buy and trade comic books.

Comic-Con runs from Thursday until Sunday.