John Legend Reveals What Kanye West Saw In Donald Trump
Kanye West raised quite a few eyebrows during Donald Trump's presidency, as he was very vocal in his support for the controversial now former president.
"You don't have to agree with trump but the mob can't make me not love him. We are both dragon energy. He is my brother. I love everyone," West infamously tweeted of Trump back in 2018. "I don't agree with everything anyone does. That's what makes us individuals. And we have the right to independent thought."
It was that tweet that inspired several famous faces to ask West to reconsider his stance on Trump's presidency, including John Legend, who has been outspoken in his disapproval of the businessman. West tweeted and deleted screenshots of an alleged text exchange between himself and legend, in which the "All Of Me" singer asked the rapper to "reconsider aligning [himself] with Trump" (via People). The singer claimed that many fans of West's felt "betrayed... because they know the harm that Trump's policies cause, especially to people of color."
By July 2020 though, West was officially done with Trump as he announced his own desire to run for president. "I am taking the red hat off, with this interview," he said during an interview with Forbes.
But while West may have had a change of heart, that hasn't stopped Legend from speculating about why he thinks his friend really aligned with the controversial politician.
John Legend calls Donald Trump and Kanye West 'underdog narcissists'
John Legend got pretty candid about Kanye West's former support of Donald Trump — and he didn't mince his words when it came to his thoughts on why he was so keen to show his support for him. Legend spoke pretty candidly to Danny Goldberg in the book "Bloody Crossroads 2020: Arts, Entertainment, and Resistance to Trump," in which he claimed West liked Trump because he saw in him "the kind of underdog narcissist that he sees in himself."
Legend also claimed that, despite being good friends for several years, he never spoke to West about politics before Trump's presidency and didn't see West "as a political person at all." The star even went as far as to alleged the "Touch The Sky" rapper "had never voted before 2020."
Legend previously opened up about the effect West's political beliefs had on their relationship during an interview with The Times in 2020. He admitted they weren't as close as they once were, but confessed, "I don't think we're less friends because of the Trump thing... I think it's just part of the natural cycle of life."
While West may have publicly revoked his support for Trump, as for where the two actually stand today is anyone's guess. During an October piece for The Federalist by political commentator Mollie Hemingway, Hemmingway noted that the former president "had kind words for West" during their interview, "but said he had 'loony tendencies.'"