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What Does Trump Think Of Kanye & Kim K?

by Elizabeth King

This year's VMAs were, as always, an eventful affair filled with spectacle and entertainment. Not least of which was Kanye West's 13-minute long speech, in which he announced that he would run for the presidency in 2020. (Side note: Are we really talking about 2020 already?! Noooo!) After West's announcement on Sunday, Echelon Insights went so far as to run a poll asking voters who they'd prefer for president in 2020: Donald Trump or Kanye. Apparently Trump wouldn't shy away from running against West. In fact, Trump shared what he thought of West, calling him a "nice guy" and further stated he "hope[s] to run against him someday" in an interview with Rolling Stone this week. While Trump might be feeling buddy-buddy with West, I'm not so sure the rapper feels the same way, given that Trump has bashed West's wife, Kim Kardashian in the past.

In a grotesque but not at all surprising display of tactless sexism, Trump told Howard Stern his opinions about Kardashian in a 2013 interview saying, "Does she have a good body? No. Does she have a fat ass? Absolutely." Not only has Trump insulted Kardashian, he's lashed out with some intense insults against West in the past as well. In 2009, Trump called West "disgusting" and called for a boycott of all things Kanye after the rapper notoriously stole the microphone from Taylor Swift at the 2009 VMAs.

In a perceived battle of egos, Trump also noted to Rolling Stone that he believes he motivated and inspired West to want to run for president. He told the magazine, "I was actually watching, I saw him [announce his candidacy on the VMAs], and I said, 'That's very interesting. I wonder who gave him that idea?'"

While Trump has apparently changed his tune about West, he has not apologized on record for his remarks about Kardashian, and so far West has been mum about the Donald's opinion of him or his family. But neither of these hypothetical 2020 candidates are known for staying silent about... anything, and I suspect West won't love the implication that he didn't come up with the idea to run for president all on his own (well, by his own admission he did have the help of some weed). Therefore, I am inclined to believe that there might be an angry Twitter tirade directed at Trump brewing in West's mind as we speak.

Let the battle begin!