Kanye West had a lot to say in his recent meeting at the White House with President Trump, one of them being prison reform. Many claim this meeting has caused Trump to change his stance on it.
For years Kanye West has been in the spotlight, from his controversial “Beyonce deserved this award” statement at the VMA’s to his impact on both the music world and the fashion industry. But his latest more controversial topic is his support for President Trump.
“I personally believe that Kanye West being a member of the African American community and siding with Trump, along with his public statements about oppression being self inflicted, on some level invalidates the struggles and inequalities the African American community has faced and faces in the US- especially being a leader of pop culture,” said Daniela Morales, a sophomore at Middlebury College.
On several occasions West has worn his “Make America Great Again” hat and recently posted a picture on Instagram showing his support for Trump.
“This represents good and America becoming whole again. We will no longer outsource to other countries. We build factories here in America and create jobs. We will provide jobs for all who are free from prisons as we abolish the 13th amendment. Message sent with love,” posted West on his Instagram.
His post caused a lot of rage and disappointment among other high-end celebrities such as Lana Del Rey, who performed at Kanye West and Kim Kardashian’s wedding, as well as Chris Evans.
“Trump becoming our president was a loss for the country but your support of him is a loss for the culture,” was just the start of Lana Del Rey’s reply to West’s Instagram post.
But during President Trump and West’s meeting they discussed several things: the 13th Amendment, male energy, and the case of a 68-year-old prisoner whose case Kanye West was raising with Trump.
Although their latest meeting was suggested to be a photo op for both the president and West, it is being shown that at the end of the day this meeting had a purpose, which starts with Trump’s new support of the First Step Act.
The Act is designed to reform mandatory minimum sentencing laws for non violent criminals and was passed through the House earlier this year.
“Despite popular opinion, I do believe Kanye visiting the White House to discuss prison reform with Donald Trump can be beneficial in bringing awareness to these issues despite the methods he used during the meeting,” said Shawn Hohn, a senior at Florida International University.