Kanye West gives up on 2020 White House bid, eyes 2024

Rapper Kanye West fills out his ballot during what he calls “the first vote of his life”, on Election Day in Park County, Wyoming, U.S., November 3, 2020 in this picture obtained from social media. (Marat Shaya/Kanye 2020 via Reuters)

LOS ANGELES — Rapper Kanye West on Tuesday voted for himself as the next U.S. president after a long-shot campaign marked by erratic statements and speculation that he might siphon some Black votes from Democrat Joe Biden.

Late on Tuesday evening, the singer and fashion designer appeared to concede his 2020 bid had ended but suggested his quest was not over. He posted a picture of himself in front of an electoral map saying “WELP KANYE 2024.”

Earlier, the singer and fashion designer tweeted that he was “voting for the first time in my life for the President of the United States, and it’s for someone I truly trust … me.”

He later posted video of himself casting his vote in Cody, Wyoming, where he wrote himself in on the ballot.

West, 43, got onto the presidential ballot in a handful of states, although not in battlegrounds like Florida, Pennsylvania and Michigan. He has spent recent weeks instructing followers how to vote for him as a write-in candidate elsewhere.

West’s celebrity wife, Kim Kardashian, did not appear to be supporting his bid. She has given no public endorsements of her husband and on Tuesday she retweeted a message about voter hot lines from Democratic vice presidential contender Kamala Harris.

West, once one of Trump’s biggest celebrity supporters, launched his campaign for the White House in July with erratic statements that raised concerns over his mental health. The 21-time Grammy Award winner said in 2018 that he suffers from bipolar disorder.

West loaned $6.7 million to his campaign, according to a filing with the Federal Election Commission, and in a recent video emphasized religion and family values.