Kanye West discussed everything from his bipolar disorder to porn on Thursday’s episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live. But it was a video of what he said — or, more accurately, didn’t say — about President Trump that made the rounds on the internet the following day.
Just as West ended a lengthy description of how he came to support Trump, host Jimmy Kimmel zeroed in on the administration’s zero-tolerance immigration policy, which has separated thousands of families at the US-Mexico border in the past few months.
“But just in literal terms there are families being torn apart at the border of this country,” Kimmel said. “There are literally families being torn apart as a result of what this president is doing and I think we can’t forget that, whether we like his personality or not. His actions are really what matter.”
He continued, noting West’s famous line that he delivered during a benefit for Hurricane Katrina victims in 2005: “You so famously and so powerfully said, ‘George [W.] Bush doesn’t care about black people.’ It makes me wonder what makes you think that Donald Trump does or any people at all.”
Kimmel: “You famously said George Bush doesn’t care about Black people. It makes me wonder what makes you think Donald Trump does, or any people at all?”
Kanye: “……..” pic.twitter.com/xnGFTUMrU8
— Philip Lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) August 10, 2018
For the first time in the interview, West was silent. As he seemingly thought about how to respond, Kimmel ushered in a commercial break. Afterwards, the two didn’t return to the subject.
A clip of the interaction went viral on Friday, and at one point, West was trending on Twitter. Trump himself even commented on it, thanking West for being “willing to tell the truth.”
Thank you to Kanye West and the fact that he is willing to tell the TRUTH. One new and great FACT – African American unemployment is the lowest ever recorded in the history of our Country. So honored by this. Thank you Kanye for your support. It is making a big difference!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 10, 2018
On Saturday, West tweeted to clarify what happened.
“On Jimmy Kimmel we had a great time having a dialogue,” West wrote. “I’m reading that I was stumped by a question. Let me clarify the click bait. I wasn’t stumped. I wasn’t given a chance to answer the question.”
He followed up with another tweet, “The question was so important I took time to think. And then I was hit with the ‘let’s go to commercial break.’ That interview showed strong personalities with different opinions having a civil conversation.”
West didn’t appear to be upset with Kimmel, though. “I was so happy when I saw Jimmy walk out in the Yeezys,” his third tweet read. “That was an olive branch. He lead with love. I appreciate Jimmy and his team. You guys are Jedi’s. much love.”
Guess who is on the show tonight? pic.twitter.com/it9QUZRxTI
— Jimmy Kimmel (@jimmykimmel) August 10, 2018
Regardless of what happened with that particular question, the rest of West’s interview with Kimmel seemed to go well. He talked candidly about his feelings toward Trump, and how he was able to publicly reveal them.
“Just as a musician, African-American guy out in Hollywood — all these different things — everyone around me tried to pick my candidate for me and then told me every time I said I liked Trump that I couldn’t say it out loud or my career would be over, I’d get kicked out [of] the black community, because blacks, we’re supposed to have a monolithic thought. We can only be Democrats,” West said, adding that it took him a year and a half to “have the confidence” to wear a “Make America Great Again” hat.
He continued, “It’s not about policies ’cause I’m not a politician like that, but it represented overcoming fear and doing what you felt no matter what anyone said and saying you can’t bully me, liberals can’t bully me, news can’t bully me, the hip-hop community, they can’t bully me. Because at that point, if I’m afraid to be me, I’m no longer Ye. That’s what makes Ye. And I actually quite enjoy when people actually are mad at me about certain things.”
Watch the entire interview here.