Rapper Kanye West received about 60,000 votes in the 2020 presidential election, despite some polls indicating his support as high as 2 percent nationwide.
The total, first reported by USA Today, comes despite attorneys for West working for months to obtain ballot access in a handful of states and West’s own appeals on social media for support from his more than 30 million followers.
A public supporter of President Trump, some nevertheless speculated on social media that his appeals for votes among his massive fan base could end up hurting former Vice President Joe Biden’s (D) presidential run, which looked to be on the precipice of victory Thursday morning as votes continued to be counted in several states.
West canceled a planned appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” Wednesday evening, Kimmel announced Monday, and announced his interest in another presidential run in 2024 in a tweet posted Wednesday.
West indicated a day earlier that his vote for himself Tuesday was his first-ever participation in an election, though he was forced to write in his name due to his failure to obtain ballot access in Wyoming, where he resides along with wife Kim Kardashian West.
The rapper previously visited Trump at the White House in late 2018, where during a wild speech in front of cameras in the Oval Office, West declared his support for Trump.
“Kanye has been a friend of mine for a long time,” the president told reporters at the time.