Donald Trump wanted to use Kanye West to help “unify” America during his presidency, according to a former staffer.
Alyssa Farah Griffin, who served as the White House’s Director of Strategic Communications during Trump’s tenture in office, recalled the bizarre idea during an appearance on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen.
After prefacing her story by describing it as “dark,” Griffin said: “One day, he wanted to have Kanye West come and do a church service on the White House lawn to unify the country.”
She then joked: “I can think of a few things less unifying than that,” referencing Ye’s penchant for controversy.
Needless to say, Trump’s plan didn’t materialize.
“We were like, ‘Not the time or place, sir,’” Griffin added while laughing.
Kanye West and Donald Trump have had a long and complicated relationship.
The Chicago native first met with Trump in New York City in December 2016 following his victory in the presidential election, sparking shock and outrage among fans and fellow rappers.
“I wanted to meet with Trump today to discuss multicultural issues,” Kanye wrote on X (then Twitter) at the time. “I feel it is important to have a direct line of communication with our future President if we truly want change.”
Trump, for his part, called the rap legend a “good man” and told reporters that they had been “friends for a long time.”
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The pair met again in the Oval Office two years later to ostensibly discuss prison form. However, Kanye — wearing a red Make America Great Again hat — launched into a lengthy and rambling monologue in which he touched on race relations, tax breaks, criminal justice and mental health.
He also proposed developing a hydrogen-powered replacement for Air Force One called the “iPlane 1.”
After later distancing himself from Trump over an alleged insult aimed at him and his ex-wife Kim Kardashian, Kanye realigned himself with the controversial former president earlier this year by endorsing him ahead of the 2024 election.
When asked by paparazzi if he plans to vote for Trump, he replied: “Yeah of course, it’s Trump all da. What you talking ’bout? You know what it is.”
