Kanye: 'I Am Taking the Red Hat Off'

Kanye West still has some work to do if he's serious about making a 2020 run for the White House, but he managed to carve out "four rambling hours" to talk to Forbes on Tuesday on his run under the "Birthday Party" banner—"because when we win, it's everybody’s birthday." During their chat, Ye made a series of revelations that may (or may not) offer more insight into why he thinks he's the best person for the job. Among the highlights:

• He's not backing President Trump anymore: "I am taking the red hat off, with this interview."
• He's never voted before.
• He's got an "obscure" VP candidate waiting in the wings.
• If he makes it to the White House, he would consider modeling his new workplace after the fictional country of Wakanda in the movie Black Panther.

• He's OK with possibly taking votes away from Trump's opponent: "To say that the Black vote is Democratic is a form of racism and white supremacy."
• Of Trump and his likely Democratic opponent, he had this to say: "Obama's special. Trump's special. We say Kanye West is special. ... Bill Clinton? Special. Joe Biden's not special."'
• His only two advisers right now are his wife, Kim Kardashian West, and Elon Musk, whom he says he's been talking to about this plan "for years."
• He says he had the coronavirus in February, but he's wary of a future vaccine (he calls vaccines "the mark of the beast").

Much more from West here, including the moment he knew he'd run, as well as his stance on taxes, China, abortion, and various other topics. Two nuggets from outside that interview: A rep for the Federal Election Commission told Billboard that while West, as of Tuesday, hadn't yet filed the necessary paperwork to make his bid for the Oval Office, two apparently bogus filings were submitted Monday: one for a "Ye West," with an address listed as 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., and a second for a "Kenye Omari West." The FEC rep says the agency will look into whether the forms contained "false or fictitious information." Meanwhile, TMZ reports that West filed trademark paperwork last month for the "West Day Ever" slogan, which he plans on slapping on more than 100 different types of apparel, including hats, T-shirts, and hoodies. (More Kanye West stories.)