Trump Official Implied Kanye Isn’t ‘Traditionally American’ Enough to Play the Inauguration
Even though Donald Trump and Kanye West have been “friends for a long time,” that didn’t stop a Trump official from saying Kanye wasn’t traditionally American enough to perform at the inauguration on Friday.
Back when Kanye met with the president-elect at Trump Towers in December, the two men officially talked about “multicultural issues” and Kanye’s prospects of a presidential run in 2024.
But we couldn’t help but wonder whether Trump would also ask his friend to perform at the inauguration.
READ ALSO: Kanye Is Now Officially Meeting With Donald Trump
After all, it wasn’t exactly like artists were chomping at the bit for the privilege.
But according to Tom Barrack, the chairman of Trump’s Inaugural Committee, Trump never asked Kanye.
“We haven’t asked him,” Tom told CNN on Tuesday. “[Kanye] considers himself a friend of the president-elect, but it’s not the venue.”
And why isn’t it the venue, Tom?
“The venue we have for entertainment is filled out,” Tom continued. “It’s perfect, it’s going to be typically and traditionally American, and Kanye is a great guy but we just haven’t asked him to perform.”
Wait, you guys didn’t ask Kanye to perform because the venue is “typically and traditionally American?”
But isn’t Kanye an American artist of a typically and traditionally American art form?
Wow, guess this certainly isn’t going to do anything to squash the rumors Trump doesn’t like black people, now is it?
READ ALSO: Past Miss Teen USA Says She Was Told Trump “Didn’t Like Black People”
Besides will.i.am’s stirring rendition of Bob Marley’s “One Love,” at Obama’s 2009 inauguration, there’s never been a rapper who’s performed at a presidential inauguration. Tom Barrack’s comment sounds super racist.
There’s really no better example of “typically and traditionally American music” than hip hop, besides maybe jazz. Country music is a ripoff of traditional Irish sounds. Even the fifes and drums they played during Revolutionary times originated in the British Isles.
And if the issue is having family-friendly, curse-word-free entertainment, why the hell is Toby Keith, whose most popular song revolves around the line “we’ll put a boot in your ass, it’s the American way,” playing?
No wonder all your other rapper friends ditched you years ago, Donald.
READ ALSO: Donald Trump Has No Friends, But When He Did, They Were All Rappers
