After meeting with Donald Trump on Tuesday, rapper Kanye West sent a flurry of tweets indicating that he wanted to discuss "multi-cultural issues," including violence in Chicago, with the president-elect. [[406374785, C]]
"I wanted to meet with Trump today to discuss multicultural issues," West tweeted, followed by, "These issues included bullying, supporting teachers, modernizing curriculums, and violence in Chicago."
"I feel it is important to have a direct line of communication with our future President if we truly want change," he added.
West, who made headlines after promising to run for president in 2020 at the 2015 Video Music Awards, also alluded to his own campaign – albeit delayed, tweeting "#2024" [[406374815, C]]
The tweets were the first time West has taken to social media since October, while the meeting was one of his first public appearances since abruptly canceling his Saint Pablo tour and spending more than a week in the hospital for sleep deprivation and exhaustion in late November.
The hospitalization came just days after West told fans in a 15-minute tirade at a concert that he did not vote, but if he had, he would have voted for Trump.
"[Voting for Trump] don't mean that I don't think that black lives matter, that don't mean I don't believe in women's rights, that don't mean that I don't believe in gay marriage," West said.
Local
Trump addressed violence in Chicago several times on the campaign trail, comparing the city to a "war-torn country" during the first presidential debate, and calling multiple times for the use of "stop-and-frisk" police tactics, which were ruled unconstitutional in New York in 2013.
The president-elect also drew harsh criticism for tweeting in August that the murder of Nykea Aldridge, a mother of four and the cousin of Bulls player Dwyane Wade, was an example of why black voters would support him.
That assertion came just days after Trump claimed that he met with a "top" Chicago officer who believed the city's violence could be stopped within a week using "tough police tactics."
The Chicago Police Department refuted that claim, as a spokesperson said in a statement that "no one in the senior command at CPD has ever met with Donald Trump or a member of his campaign."
"If you have a magic bullet to stop the violence anywhere, not just in Chicago, but in America, then please share it with us," Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson later said when asked about Trump's remarks. "We’d be glad to take that information and stop this violence." [[401746386, C]]
Following their appearance together on Tuesday, Trump said he and West were meeting as "just friends" and talking about "life."
"He's doing well, he's a good man," Trump said, adding that the two have "been friends for a long time."
The meeting came the same day that Trump announced that he was picking ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson, who has connections to Russian President Vladimir Putin, to be his secretary of state.
Trump's spokesperson Hope Hicks also announced Tuesday that the president-elect's first press conference, scheduled for Thursday, was being postponed until January.
