Kanye West triggers confusion & outrage with image of ‘friend’ writing in his name on ballot where he’s already listed as VP

Kanye West appears to still be running for president and decided to share an image of someone writing in his name on a presidential ballot, sparking confusion and outrage, as many blamed him for “helping Trump.”

“Friends writing me in,” the rapper tweeted along with the picture on Thursday night.

What confused some, is that West’s name already appears on the ballot as a vice presidential candidate for the American Independent Party (AIC). West’s name is printed on California ballots because the AIC nominated him and their presidential candidate, Roque 'Rocky' De La Fuente, without informing either one.

Regardless of how he ended up on the ballot, many were outraged to see the rapper share an image of someone writing in his name on it.

“This is a dangerous man allowing himself to be used to hurt the rest of us. This is not a joke. Writing in Kanye just helps Trump,” New York Times columnist Charles M. Blow tweeted. 

“If your friend writes Kanye West into the ballot — reconsider your circle,” actor Danny Ramirez added. 

West has been accused by liberal critics of running a troll campaign to hurt Joe Biden’s changes in November, mostly due to the fact that West was an outspoken Donald Trump supporter before announcing his own intent to run for president.

Though he has not been campaigning for office a whole lot since announcing his bid in July, West has made a handful of state ballots and sporadically makes reference to the election on Twitter.

Explaining its decision to place West in the vice presidential slot, AIC Party Chairman Markham Robinson said the rapper was “not available” to be nominated for president. 

"Kanye is an example of a good thing that we found along the way," Robinson said, adding that the party liked his “pretty good” platform and views.

West used the vice presidential debate on Wednesday night between Mike Pence and Kamala Harrs to launch a line of merchandise promoting his presidential run, even revealing some sales figures the following evening.

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