[imagesource: Sputnik]

Maybe it’s lingering trauma from the 2016 election, but I was a tad concerned when Kanye West threw his MAGA hat into the ring.

There was no doubt that he wouldn’t win, but as the race continues with, in some cases, the tiniest of margins between Donald Trump and Joe Biden, anyone pulling votes away from the two primary candidates is potentially dangerous.

Anyway, Kanye went off to cast his vote along with everyone else, ticked the ‘box’ for “someone I truly trust…me” and the race was on.

And then, without much fuss, it was over.

Per Sky News, Kanye, who only made it onto a few ballots in a few states because he missed deadlines, physically wrote his name on the ballot in Wyoming so that he could vote for himself.

KEEP BELIEVING KANYE 2020 Thank you Jesus Christ pic.twitter.com/OgFDGOCAOp

— ye (@kanyewest) November 3, 2020

He was reported (as of 8PM on Wednesday evening, our time) to have received around 57 000 votes across the 12 states in which he was in the running, which is in itself disturbing. The tally is now sitting on upwards of 60 000 votes, with 10 000 in Tennessee alone.

Also disturbing – his anti-abortion views, and avid support for Trump. He later rescinded that support because of how the president is handling the pandemic, but still…

As The Telegraph points out, he performed better than expected, which means that his impact on the American political landscape in the coming years could be significant.

He has conceded this race, predictably, but is threatening to run in 2024.

KANYE 2024 pic.twitter.com/Zm2pKcn12t

— ye (@kanyewest) November 4, 2020

His candidacy has been treated as a joke or vanity project for the most part, especially after he broke down crying at a bizarre rally in South Carolina in July:

He also created a campaign poster featuring Kirsten Dunst who had no idea that she was being dragged into things.

Given the rising anti-establishment forces in America, however, it’s not entirely implausible that if he runs again, or a candidate similar to him runs, things could get messy.

What’s undeniable is that Donald Trump has reshaped American politics. The idea of a celebrity parlaying their profile into a plausible White House run is no longer absurd.

If not West, then it could be somebody else. And they could gain momentum with a speed that blindsides the establishment.

I’m picturing live Instagram videos from the Oval Office – “so, a lot of you have been asking about my foreign policies” – and it’s terrifying.

But, we have enough to worry about at the moment, so let’s not linger on that for the time being.

Hopefully, he will lose interest over the next four years and this will cease to be an issue.

[source:skynews&telegraph]