Kanye West Releases First Presidential Campaign Ad, 22 Days Before Election

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Rapper and unlikely presidential candidate Kanye West has dropped the first advertisement for his presidential campaign, just 22 days ahead of Election Day.

On Monday afternoon, West shared the video, which is a little longer than one minute, on Twitter to his nearly 40 million followers. In the video, he discusses how Americans should focus on strengthening their religion and faith to improve the country.

“America. What is America’s destiny? What is best for our nation? Our people? What is just? True justice? We have to think about all these things together as a people. To contemplate our future, to live up to our dream, we must have vision. We as a people will revive our nation’s commitment to faith, to what our constitution calls the free exercise of religion, including, of course, prayer,” he said. “Through prayer, faith can be restored.”

West spoke against the backdrop of a black-and-white American flag and footage of families, including photos of West’s own family when he was kid.

“We as a people are called to a greater purpose than ourselves. We are not only a beacon to our world, but we should be servants to each other to encourage each other, to help each other, to lift up each other — our fellow Americans — that we may all prosper together. We have to act on faith with a sure knowledge that we are pursuing the right goals and doing the right things. We will build a stronger country by building stronger families,” he said. “Families are the building blocks of society, of a nation. By turning to faith, we will be the kind of nation — the kind of people — God intends us to be.”

The video ends with an “I am Kanye West and I approve this message” endorsement and text urging people to write him in on the ballot.

The rapper faced many obstacles in his uphill and nearly impossible battle to get on states’ ballots as he missed several crucial deadlines. However, he appears on the California ballot, though as a vice presidential candidate.

Many have questioned how serious West is about running for president, after launching his campaign in July and qualifying for 10 states. In September, he spent $6.8 million on his bid, according to campaign finance reports. In a highly anticipated election between President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden, West could siphon some votes away from either candidate, acting as a third-party spoiler.

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