Kanye West announces 2020 presidential bid in bizarre 4th of July tweet

In 2015, when Kanye West accepted the Video Vanguard lifetime achievement honor at the MTV Video Music Awards, he wrapped up his rambling, 11-minute speech with this declaration: “And yes, as you probably could have guessed by this moment, I have decided in 2020 to run for president.” Spectators in the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles guffawed at the time, but it seems like the “Power” rapper wasn’t joking — as he celebrated the Fourth of July this weekend by announcing on social media that he is actually launching a last-minute presidential campaign.

“We must now realize the promise of America by trusting God, unifying our vision and building our future. I am running for president of the United States! #@2020VISION,” West posted early Saturday evening, quickly setting off fireworks across the Twitterverse.

With the presidential election only four months away, it is unclear if West is serious about making it onto the 2020 ballot, or if that’s even possible. (Several fans referenced his sophomore album’s title in Twitter jokes about his “late registration.”) Last November at the Fast Company Innovation Festival in New York, West had once again declared his intention to run for president — but in 2024. That speech also elicited crowd laughter, to which West retorted, “What y’all laughing at? We would create so many jobs! I’m not going to run, I’m going to walk. When you see headlines saying ‘Kanye’s crazy’ — one in three African-Americans are in jail and all the celebrities are in jail also because they can’t say nothing, they got no opinion, they’re so scared!"

On Saturday, many people on Twitter were still snickering at West’s latest campaign announcement. (Some replied with memes suggesting that West’s nemesis dating back to the 2009 VMAs, the newly politically vocal Taylor Swift, would be a more qualified candidate.) Many others understandably assumed that this was all just some publicity stunt to promote new ’Ye music dropping soon. And others seemed excited by the news, namely West’s pal and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who said West has his “full support.”

However, many other alarmed tweeters expressed the valid concern that if West really were to run, presumably on an independent ticket, he could siphon votes from presumed Democratic nominee Joe Biden, split the vote and thus ensure President Trump’s reelection — and they theorized that that is indeed the rapper’s true agenda.

West has recently distanced himself from President Trump, with the lifestyle blog Highsnobiety even reporting that he had supposedly been faking his Trump support all along in order to get innocent Black prisoners out jail. (West’s wife, Kim Kardashian, an advocate for prison reform, met with Trump in 2018 to argue for the commutation of the sentences of Chris Young and Alice Marie Johnson, and she was instrumental in persuading Trump to support the First Step Act, a bipartisan criminal justice bill passed by Congress in December 2018.) But West has certainly shown enthusiasm for Trump in the past, proudly wearing a “Make America Great Again” red hat and even meeting with the president on several occasions.

A representative for West did not immediately respond to Yahoo Entertainment’s request for comment.

Read more from Yahoo Entertainment:

? Taylor Swift blasts President Trump in incendiary tweet: 'We will vote you out in November'

? Jordin Sparks opens up about Black Lives Matter, Kaepernick and fears for her family: ‘I can’t be silent about this’

? Usher debuts tearful protest song during Global Goal live stream: 'I can't keep it together'

? Chuck D talks Public Enemy’s incendiary new anti-Trump song: ‘This dude has got to go now’

Follow Lyndsey on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Amazon, Spotify.