Sunday (July 19) sawKanye Westnavigate his way throughhis first presidential campaign rally, where the rapper went in all kinds of direction by, most notably, becoming emotional for sharing his anti-abortion stance, criticizingHarriet Tubmanand mentioning a divorce fromKim Kardashian.
As perBillboard, the event started shortly after 5 p.m. ET in Charleston, South Carolina, where the rapper intends to qualify for the state ballot as an independent candidate. The biggest viral moment from the event, which was also live-streamed, fell on West's tears. "My mom saved my life. My dad wanted to abort me. My mom saved my life," an emotional West told locals attending the event. "There would've been no Kanye West because my dad was too busy. I almost killed my daughter."
"In the Bible it says, 'Thou shall not kill.' I remember my girlfriend [now wife, Kim] called me screaming and crying ... she said, 'I'm pregnant' ... She said she was a pregnant and for one month, and two months, and three months we talked about her not having this child. She had the pills in her hand," he continued, before recounting the moment "in the [Paris] apartment where my wife was actually robbed."
In fact, West said he received a message from God and that immediately prompted a change of heart. "The screen went black and white and God said, 'If you f**k with my vision, I'm gonna f**k with yours. And I called my wife, and she said, 'We're gonna have this baby.' I said, 'We're gonna have this child,'" he recalled, adding, "Even if my wife were to divorce me after this speech, she brought North into the world."
Elsewhere, West made rambling commentary on "splitting the Black vote" and threw some shade at Tubman, who is remembered for her activism in leading several enslaved people to freedom on the Underground Railroad. "The most racist thing that's ever been said out loud is the idea that if Kanye West runs for president, that I'm gonna split the Black votes," he said. "I'm not trying to quiet your voices, actually, I just haven't had the time to word it in the most elegant way possible."
"Harriet Tubman never actually freed the slaves, she just had the slaves go work for other white people," he continued, a sentiment which led to plenty of online chatter. "The National Basketball Association is not owned by any Blacks. Universal Music is not owned by any Blacks."