From tearful abortion to international trade to Tubman never ‘freed the slaves, – What Kanye West said while launching presidential campaign

Kanye West presidential campaign launch

Washington: Rapper Kanye West on Sunday addressed his first rally since declaring himself a candidate for the 2020 US Presidential Election.

Launching his campaign to dethrone Donald Trump, 43-year-old West touched on subjects such as abortion, pornography, religion, international trade and licensing deals. He did not only argue policy with attendees in North Charleston, South Carolina, but also broke down in tears at one point.

Donning a bullet-proof jacket marked ‘security’, the 21-time Grammy winner had ‘2020’ shaved into the back of his head when he appeared during a live-stream of the event on YouTube.

Several hundred people, reportedly registered guests only, assembled at the venue, where gospel music played ahead of West’s appearance. His remarks lasted just more than an hour.

Speaking about Harriet Tubman while discussing economic inequality, West said that the American abolitionist “never actually freed the slaves. She just had the slaves work for other white people”.

“Freedom does not come from an election. The freedom comes from you not loading up the pornography. The freedom comes from you not taking the Percoset,” he said.

Despite contending that abortion should be legal, West said that it should be heavily discouraged. He also suggested that as US President, he would support a policy of that anyone who gives birth to a child be given USD 1 million “or something in that family”.

The rapper also mentioned about the Bible and Christian teachings quite a number of times and broke down in tears while talking about how he was nearly aborted by his parents. He also revealed how he had wanted his wife, Kim Kardashian, to get an abortion when she was pregnant with their oldest daughter, North.

“My dad wanted to abort me. My mom saved my life. There would’ve been no Kanye West because my dad was too busy,” West said.

He later said, “I almost killed my daughter! I almost killed my daughter!”

“The only thing that can free us is by obeying the rules that were given to us for a promised land,” he said. “Abortion should be legal because guess what? The law is not by God anyway, so what is legality?”

It is yet not clear whether the hip-hop star is seriously trying to win the US presidency. The rapper had launched the campaign with a July 4 tweet but later missed various deadlines to appear on key state ballots.

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Kanye West claims in rally Harriet Tubman never ‘freed the slaves,’ tearfully discusses abortion

Wearing a flak jacket marked “security” and “2020” shaved into his head, West strolled the stage at the Exquis Event Center in North Charleston and spoke without a microphone, according to livestream videos of the event for registered guests posted online. 

During one controversial moment, West, 43, claimed abolitionist Harriet Tubman “never actually freed the slaves. She just had the slaves go work for other white people.”

Tubman is one of the most respected figures of 19th century America. An African American who escaped slavery, she helped enslaved Black men and women travel north to freedom and fought for the Union during the Civil War. She later became a supporter of women’s suffrage.

West spoke tearfully against abortion, saying he and wife Kim Kardashian had seriously pursued terminating their first pregnancy.

But a message from God changed his mind and, in a telephone call, Kardashian told him: “We’re going to have this baby,” said West. The couple gave birth to their first child, daughter North, in 2013.

“So even if my wife were to divorce me after this speech, she brought North into the world, even when I didn’t want to,” West said. “She stood up, and she protected that child.” 

West said his own mother, Donda West, had made the same choice when she was pregnant with him more than 43 years ago. “My dad wanted to abort me. My mom saved my life. There would have been no Kanye West, because my dad was too busy,” said West, breaking down into tears.

“I almost killed my daughter,” he said, sobbing.

The abortion discussion with the audience was contentious, with one spectator taking to the stage to argue when West said, “No more Plan B — Plan A.” 

West clarified he would fight to keep abortion legal, but outlined an option he called “maximum increase.”

“The maximum increase would be everybody that has a baby gets a million dollars or something in that range,” said West. “If you had opportunity to be given a million dollars, just for being pregnant, would you have considered it? And then everybody would start having children, the greatest gift of life.”

West needs 10,000 signatures by noon Monday to appear on South Carolina’s ballot for the Nov. 3 election. He has urged followers on Twitter to aid the cause. West’s campaign last week filed the required paperwork to appear on the ballot in Oklahoma, but the campaign has missed the deadline to appear on many state ballots, including key states like Florida and Texas.

In federal campaign forms filed last week, West listed his party affiliation as “BDY.” West said in a July 8 Forbes interview that he was running for president in 2020 under a new banner — the Birthday Party.