<p id=”par-1_51″>In 2009, <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/tag/kanye-west/?swcfpc=1″>Kanye West</a> interrupted <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/tag/taylor-swift/?swcfpc=1″>Taylor Swift</a> at the VMAs, prompting criticism from everyone to then-President Barack Obama. In an interview, Obama called West a “jacka**.” Years later, West still felt the former president should have apologized to him. While he said he still liked Obama, West resented what he said.</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-kanye-west-once-said-he-wanted-an-apology-from-barack-obama”>Kanye West once said he wanted an apology from Barack Obama</h2>
<p id=”par-2_21″>After <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/kanye-west-blames-god-for-taylor-swift-vma-interruption.html/”>West interrupted Swift’s acceptance speech</a> at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, a video of Obama speaking about it leaked.</p>
<p id=”par-3_48″>“I thought that was really inappropriate,” he told CNBC at the time. “You know it was like she’s getting an award – why are you butting in? The young lady seems like a perfectly nice person. She’s getting her award. What’s he doing up there? He’s a jacka**.”</p>
<p id=”par-4_19″>In a 2018 video interview with Charlamagne tha God, West expressed frustration that Obama never called him to apologize.</p>
<p id=”par-5_49″>“He never called me to apologize,” West said (via <a target=”_blank” href=”https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/michaelblackmon/kanye-west-barack-obama-jackass-mad-pissed-taylor-swift” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>Buzzfeed News</a>). “The same person that sat down with me and my mom I think should’ve communicated to me directly and been like, ‘Yo, Ye… You know what it is! I’m in the room — it was just a joke.”</p>
<figure class=”wp-block-image size-full” id=”emb-1″><img decoding=”async” src=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Kanye-West.webp?strip=all&quality=80″ alt=”Kanye West at Milk Studios on June 28, 2016 in Hollywood, California. adidas and Kanye West announce the future of their partnership: adidas + KANYE WEST” class=”wp-image-3773440″><figcaption class=”wp-element-caption”>Kanye West | Jonathan Leibson/Getty Images for ADIDAS</figcaption></figure>
<p id=”par-6_8″>He said he still liked the former president.</p>
<p id=”par-7_47″>“Nobody’s perfect,” he said. “I love Obama. I’m sure we’ll hang out, go to Richard Branson’s island. It’ll be cool. I just think that we were in a period where he had so much stuff to do that he couldn’t deal with a wild card like me.”</p>
<p id=”par-8_26″>While he found it frustrating that Obama maintained relationships with <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/barack-obama-once-opened-up-about-his-little-bond-with-jay-z.html/”>other rappers like Jay-Z</a> and Kendrick Lamar, he still wanted to support the first Black president.</p>
<p id=”par-9_26″>“This man was the Jackie Robinson of politics,” he said. “He was the first person to do it. So, you know, we want to be supportive.”</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-barack-obama-doubled-down-on-his-opinion-of-kanye-west”>Barack Obama doubled down on his opinion of Kanye West</h2>
<p id=”par-10_7″>In 2020, Obama spoke positively about West.</p>
<p id=”par-11_12″>“He’s a Chicago guy,” he said, per <a target=”_blank” href=”https://www.essence.com/news/president-obama-calls-kanye-west-a-jackass-again/” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>Essence</a>. “Smart. He’s very talented.”</p>
<p id=”par-12_20″>Still, he hadn’t changed his opinion about him. While Obama thought West was talented, he still considered him a “jacka**.”</p>
<p id=”par-13_9″>“He is a jacka**,” he said. “But he’s talented.”</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-the-rapper-has-supported-donald-trump”>The rapper has supported Donald Trump</h2>
<p id=”par-14_15″>Though West expressed support for Obama, he also spoke about why <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/kanye-west-rants-deletes-donald-trump-x-plea-release-jailed-diddy.html/”>he likes Donald Trump</a>.</p>
<p id=”par-15_40″>“I love people who don’t love him,” he said, adding, “I love the fact that they speaking up and everybody’s just giving their opinions. I been waiting for this moment in time. This is like a Ye moment in time.”</p>
<figure class=”wp-block-image size-full” id=”emb-2″><img decoding=”async” src=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/GettyImages-1051897054-1.webp?strip=all&quality=80″ alt=”Kanye West wears a red hat and shakes hands with Donald Trump, how sits at a desk.” class=”wp-image-3773669″><figcaption class=”wp-element-caption”>Kanye West and Donald Trump | SEBASTIAN SMITH/AFP via Getty Images</figcaption></figure>
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<p id=”par-16_32″>In 2020, West said that his dream candidate would have a campaign similar to Trump’s and policies like Bernie Sanders’. He liked that Trump was able to win as a political outsider.</p>
<p id=”par-17_28″>“The fact that he won proves something. It proves that anything is possible in America,” West said, adding, “When I see an outsider infiltrate, I connect with that.”</p>
<p id=”par-18_7″>In 2024, he endorsed Trump’s presidential candidacy.</p>