Jimmy Kimmel Had One Question on Donald Trump That Left Kanye West Uncomfortable and Silent on Live TV

Kanye West shocked everyone when he went on a lengthy rant while endorsing former president Donald Trump in 2016 during his Saint Pablo Tour. “Voting for Trump doesn’t mean that I don’t think that black lives matter; that doesn’t mean I don’t believe in women’s rights; that doesn’t mean that I don’t believe in gay marriage, that doesn’t mean I don’t believe in these things because that was the guy I would’ve voted for,” he rambled to the stunned concert-goers, as per Billboard. However, in 2018 while appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live Ye went silent when Jimmy Kimmel questioned him if Trump was really concerned about black people.  

According to Entertainment Weekly, the veteran comedian interjected West during his lengthy tirade saying, “You so famously and so powerfully said, ‘George [W.] Bush doesn’t care about black people.’ It makes me wonder what makes you think that Donald Trump does or any people at all.” West, who was in the middle of a compelling conversation suddenly turned quiet and refused to provide an answer. As the awkward silence continued, Kimmel sought to shift the subject, “Why don’t we take a break", he said and proceeded into a commercial break. 

West justified his choice to back the Republican leader earlier in the show saying: “Just as a musician, African-American guy out in Hollywood — all these different things — everyone around me tried to pick my candidate for me and then told me every time I said I liked Trump that I couldn’t say it out loud or my career would be over."

"I’d get kicked out [of] the black community, because blacks, we’re supposed to have a monolithic thought. We can only be Democrats,” he said. In April 2018, Trump praised West by calling him MAGA after the Donda rapper posted a series of tweets supporting the GOP nominee. 

"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. I don't agree with everything anyone does. That's what makes us individuals. And we have the right to independent thought," West wrote in a now-deleted tweet. 

As per NBC News, West's rants were accompanied by recordings of Dilbert creator Scott Adams, who has subsequently turned into a pro-Trump figure and predicted that Trump will win the 2016 election. The Bound 2 rapper's decision was met with heavy criticism from all quarters, however, close friend Chance The Rapper came out in his support at the time and tweeted: "Black people don’t have to be democrats." 

West made a bold defense of himself, claiming that his disrespect on Twitter encourages followers to be authentic. "And any fan of mine wants Ye to be Ye even when they don't agree because I represent the fact that they can be themselves even when people don't agree with them. Drops mic," he tweeted.