‘Why would Joe Biden be better?’ Chance the Rapper makes case for President Kanye West, gets scorched on Twitter

Chance the Rapper’s attempt to throw his weight behind Kanye West as a potential presidential candidate, while questioning Joe Biden’s suitability for the job, has invoked the wrath of the never-Trump crowd on Twitter.

Chance made a rare foray into politics on Monday, after he reposted a video from his fellow entertainer-turned-presidential hopeful. 

“And y’all out here tryna convince me to vote for Biden,” Chance captioned a clip initially shared by Kanye as a touching tribute to his late mother, Donda. 

Chance’s post quickly went viral and received massive blowback. The bulk of the comments came from the never-Trump #Resistance, who chastised the rapper for chipping away at presumptive Democrat nominee Joe Biden’s support by endorsing West. 

“If you use your platform to encourage Black people to vote for Kanye West, who has no chance of being elected to office, you will simply help re-elect racist Donald Trump,” CNN political commentator and former Clinton White House aide Keith Boykin thundered.

Writer and comedian Akilah Hughes, an outspoken Black Lives Matter supporter, took aim at Chance as well: “loving one’s mother is not really enough of a reason to make someone president.”

Hughes, who boasts over 200,000 followers on Twitter, suggested that Chance educate himself on Biden’s agenda, quipping: “So you can’t read or you haven’t been to Joe Biden’s website.”

However, many critics didn’t bother to present any compelling arguments as to why Biden’s merits for high office are greater than that of Yeezy, arguing that Chance is simply beyond help.

“If you’re stupid enough to vote for Kanye, decent people can’t help you,” wrote John Pavlovitz, a self-described “progressive Christian” and “Liberal follower of Jesus.”

While the rapper’s argument for a President West could mark one step away from the US’ entrenched two-party system – which is widely believed not to be reflective of the American public – it also failed to win many converts on Twitter.

Commenters outright rejected the suggestion that West could be a serious challenger to the status quo, as he has zero political experience and has not even filed his FEC papers yet. 

Unfazed by the massive pushback, Chance told his incensed followers that while he “gets” that they want to “get Trump out” at any cost, he still can’t understand why they think Biden would be any better.

“In this hypothetical scenario where you’re replacing Trump, can someone explain why Joe Biden would be better??” 

Responding to a commenter who said Chance’s handlers should “lock him out” of Twitter before “it’s too late,” the rapper fired back, reminding his followers of the time former VP Biden told a black radio host, “you ain’t black” if you still don’t know who to vote for.

“I thought we were all collectively pressed when folks said ‘If you don’t vote for me you aint black,’” he tweeted.

However, as his rant on Twitter continued to draw ire from liberal pundits and devout fans alike, the rapper apparently sought to make amends, striking a conciliatory tone with those opposing the Yeezy run: “I understand the improbability of Ye winning the 46th Presidential seat and I understand that everyone voting for Biden isn’t necessarily doing so enthusiastically.”

Kanye West’s possible entry into the presidential race has been a controversial topic from the get-go. His platform, detailed mostly in interviews, seems to include some progressive policies (such as free housing and universal basic income) but would also presumably contain some highly conservative planks, as West is anti-abortion, anti-vaccine, and seemingly pro-state religion.

As West has previously praised President Trump, many detractors argue that he is only running to deprive Biden of votes in November.

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