Kanye West addressed abortion and eco-villages in an interview with The New York Times published Wednesday.
West tweeted that he was running for president on July 4 and subsequently created a campaign website laying out his platform. However, several states including Wisconsin have denied West a spot on their presidential ballots due to his campaign’s inability to meet state deadlines and signature requirements, according to Variety.
“Praise God for you,” West texted a New York Times reporter who asked the artist about not being on certain state ballots. “I’m finishing my album and I’m not answering questions this morning.”
He continued, “The first question is incorrect as I am already on some ballots.”
The New York Times reached out to West in August after he privately met with White House aide Jared Kushner. West then tweeted that he was willing to do an interview with The Times about the meeting.
West had multiple conversations via phone and text message with The Times. He called a reporter on Aug. 11, the day he tweeted about doing an interview with the paper.
“I’m Kanye, who are you?” West asked the reporter, according to The Times. “I’m the head of everything.”
I’m willing to do a live interview with the New York Time about my meeting with Jared where we discussed Dr Claude Anderson’s book Powernomics
— ye (@kanyewest) August 12, 2020
The Times described West as upset during the interview. He asked for the conversation to be conducted live via Zoom with the reporter’s editor present.
“Does anyone at your magazine believe in Jesus?” he asked when addressing about abortion, The Times reported.
West then exchanged a series of text messages with the reporter sharing statistics that showed abortion affects black people more than white people, The Times reported.
“How do these facts make you feel?” West texted. “As a person.”
He added: “???”
However, West said he doesn’t favor an abortion ban, according to The Times. Rather, he said the government should give stipends to families that need support and create high-quality orphanages.
When asked about concrete policy initiatives that he would want to pursue as president, West explained his idea of an “eco-village” called Birthday Lake where children could be safely birthed and cared for, according to The Times. West tweeted a photo of handwritten notes explaining Birthday Lake in further detail on Aug. 15.
The “possibilities for income generation” include “mushroom plastics” and “wildcraft and herbal products,” according to the photo West tweeted.
West visited President Donald Trump at The White House in October 2018 to discuss sentencing reform and black employment, The Times reported. During the meeting, West donned a “Make America Great Again” hat.
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