DJ COMMUNITY

Kanye West: 'I would have voted for Trump — if I voted'

Jayme Deerwester , USA TODAY9:29 a.m. EST November 18, 2016

AP MUSIC KANYE WEST KID CUDI A ENT FILE USA NY

(Photo: Chris Pizzello, AP)

Concertgoers at Kanye West's show Thursday night in San Jose, Calif., were met with a political screed by the rapper one week after the bitterly fought presidential election.

What floored many was hearing the rapper, who once told the nation "George Bush doesn't care about black people" during a 2005 telethon for Hurricane Katrina victims, announce that not only did he not vote, but if he had, he would have pulled the lever for Donald Trump.

It left many on Twitter as stupefied as West's co-host Mike Myers seemed during that Katrina fundraising effort.

West went on to tell the audience that he's "glad Trump inspired racists to reveal themselves" and that if we can all hold out for another four years, he's still thinking about running for president in 2020.

He praised music for its power to of unify the country after such a polarizing election, saying, "I'm not asking ya'll on your opinions on who's better, but there are people who voted for either side that come together for music."

The declaration validates President-elect Trump, who last year said he knew West was a supporter.

"I'll never say bad about him, because he loves Trump," he said, responding to West's speech at the MTV Video Music Awards hinting at a presidential run. "He goes around saying Trump is my all-time hero. He says it to everybody. So Kanye West, I love him."

Though Trump admitted he'd change his tune if West followed through with his political plans.

"Now, maybe in a few years I'll have to run against him, I don't know, so I'll take that back."

Responding to a question about Kanye West’s VMA speech where he indicated he would run for presidency in 2020, Donald Trump said that Kanye West loves Trump. USA TODAY