Kanye West officially conceded his run in the US presidential race early this morning (November 4). The rapper-turned-presidential-candidate took to Twitter to announce his withdrawal, posting an image of himself in profile against an election map alongside the caption: “WELP”.
Though West, who ran as a ‘Birthday Party’ candidate, failed to pick up any electoral college votes, he did earn at least 50,000 total votes in the 12 states in which his name appeared on the ballot.
Earlier on Tuesday, West had shared photos of himself voting in Wyoming, one of the states where he didn’t make the ballot. “Today I voted for the first time in my life for the President of the United States, and it’s for someone I truly trust… me,” he tweeted.
The rapper announced his intention to run for the president in July, writing on Twitter: “We must now realize the promise of America by trusting God, unifying our vision and building our future. I am running for president of the United States!” His held his first (and only) campaign event in South Carolina two weeks later, but missed the filing deadline in multiple states and failed to accrue enough valid signatures in others.
Despite his lack of success in 2020, West has vowed to try again in four years time.
WELP KANYE 2024 🕊 pic.twitter.com/tJOZcxdArb
— ye (@kanyewest) November 4, 2020