Kanye West Rants About Cheating America at the White House When Some Yeezys Were Made in China

In this op-ed, writer Mekita Rivas discusses the hypocrisy of Kanye West's rant about putting America first at the Whise House given the fact that some Yeezys are reportedly made in China.

Last week, Kanye West went to the White House. What ensued was arguably some of the most bizarre television we’ve seen to date. Clad in his red MAGA hat, Ye went on a nearly 10-minute rant that covered everything from North Korea and gang violence in Chicago to bipolar disorder and alternate universes (yes, really).

Also a topic of discussion? Manufacturing products in countries other than the United States. During his meeting with President Trump, Kanye said, “We have to bring jobs into America because our best export is entertainment and ideas, but when we make everything in China and not in America, then we’re cheating on our country.” It's a sentiment that Kanye may not be putting into practice, at least when it comes to his sneakers. His Yeezy Boost 350 V2 trainers were reportedly manufactured in China, according to a report from U.K.'s Daily Mirror newspaper in partnership with U.S. based group China Labor Watch. To note, Adidas refuted claims in that 2017 report that factory workers were underpaid and working long hours, but the company did acknowledge to WWD that Yeezy shoes were made in China. "Adidas added that Yeezy shoes are produced by Apache in Guangdong and Ching Luh in Fujian," WWD reported, "and the average monthly take-home wage of production workers in those facilities is more than double the minimum wage in the regions."

By insisting that companies manufacture their products stateside while some of his beloved Yeezys were made in the very country he singled out in his Oval Office monologue, Kanye revealed yet another blind spot in his ability to craft a substantive political hot take. Of course, he's done this before, perhaps most infamously when he said that slavery was a choice earlier this year (he walked back the comment soon after).

The internet wasn’t about to let Kanye get away with his grandstanding. Actress Olivia Munn took to Twitter to ask if anyone plans to “break it to Kanye,” complete with a photo that appears to show the “made in China” label on a pair of Yeezys. Others chimed in to comment on the rapper’s blatant hypocrisy.

During his White House rant, Kanye also advocated for bringing manufacturing jobs to his hometown of Chicago. “Chicago is the core of middle America, and we have to make middle America strong,” Kanye said. “In my hometown of Chicago, and the 2.7 million to the 9 million [people] in surrounding suburbs, where we can create some factories, and I think it would be cool for them to have Trump factories because he’s a master of industry and he’s a builder.”

Calling Trump a “master of industry,” who’s putting America "first,” is a bit of a stretch, too. According to July NBC News report, some Trump merchandise continues to be produced in countries that are definitely not the United States. And First Daughter Ivanka Trump’s now-defunct, eponymous clothing and accessories line was frequently called out for being manufactured in countries like China, Indonesia, and Vietnam.

It should come as no surprise that Kanye didn’t show up to the White House empty-handed. He reportedly came bearing at least six boxes of Yeezys, presumably to give to Trump and his staffers. An entire West Wing staff rocking Chinese-made Yeezys while working for a president whose whole ideology is supposedly rooted in making America great again is ironic at best and, well, depressing at worst.

Perhaps Kanye feels a connection to Trump because they’re one and the same. They're both narcissistic men who love to talk a big game, but whose actions continually demonstrate that they really only care about two things: themselves and their bottom line.

We've reached out to Adidas for comment, and will update if we hear back.

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