Kanye West to lunch with Donald Trump this week

• Posted on October 9, 2018
• by Ellsamwise King
• Comment

Kanye West is to meet US President Donald Trump on Thursday, the White House has confirmed.

The two men are expected to discuss prison reform, gang violence and manufacturing resurgence in the US.

The meeting will take place less than four weeks before the mid-term elections in November.

The rapper, who has been a vocal supporter of Mr Trump, will also meet White House senior adviser Jared Kushner.

On Monday, the singer-songwriter Taylor Swift endorsed two Democrats for the US mid-term elections, prompting Mr Trump to tell reporters that he likes “Taylor’s music about 25% less now”.

Mr West, who is married to Kim Kardashian, wore a hat with Donald Trump’s slogan “Make America Great Again” during his performance on the US comedy show Saturday Night Live a few weeks ago.

The two men previously met in December 2016, before Mr Trump took office. At the time, the singer John Legend, a close friend of Mr West, called the meeting a “publicity stunt”.

Ye vs The People

The rapper has also urged NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick, the first player to kneel during the pre-game national anthem in 2016, to “tell your experience directly” to Mr Trump.

In April, Mr West, who wishes to be referred to as Ye, released Ye vs The People, a track which expressed support for the US president.

White House @PressSec confirms that Trump will have lunch with Kanye West: "Topics of discussions will include manufacturing resurgence in America, prison reform, how to prevent gang violence, and what can be done to reduce violence in Chicago.”

— Peter Baker (@peterbakernyt) October 9, 2018

Source: BBC