Kanye West has conceded defeat in the 2020 presidential election after running as an independent candidate against the Democratic nominee, Joe Biden, and the Republican President Donald Trump.

West announced his candidacy for the 2020 presidential race in a tweet on July 4: “We must now realize the promise of America by trusting God, unifying our vision and building our future”, he said, adding: “I am running for president of the United States 🇺🇸! #2020VISION”. 

However, shortly after West’s first campaign rally two weeks later in South Carolina, Kim Kardashian appealed for compassion as he appeared to exhibit erratic behaviour in his speech infront of supports. “Those who are close with Kanye know his heart and understand his words sometimes do not align with his intentions,” she wrote on her Instagram Stories.

The last-minute announcement of his candidacy meant that West ran into some administrative issues, resulting in him missing the deadline to officially register as a candidate in many states. He appeared on pre-printed ballots in just 12 states,  including Iowa, Kentucky, Vermont, and Tennessee, and managed to win around 60,000 votes in total. “WELP” the rapper said in a now-deleted tweet shortly after midnight on Thursday as he shared an image of the US shaded in the colours of rival candidates.

Despite conceding defeat before the final result of the 2020 election, West has already kicked off his campaign for the next one. “KANYE 2024”, he said tweeted last night, hinting at a second bite of the apple four years from now, by which time Trump will be 78 years old, and Biden 81.