The American rapper posted a message to his Twitter followers in which he suggested he was entering the 2020 presidential race.

Kanye West has announced he is running for US president – and he has already won the backing of billionaire Elon Musk.

The American rap star posted a message to his 29.4 million Twitter followers in which he suggested he was entering the 2020 presidential race.

https://t.co/wJLvIufr2u pic.twitter.com/PfQENqgGou

— ye (@kanyewest) July 1, 2020

We must now realize (sic) the promise of America by trusting God, unifying our vision and building our future,

he tweeted.

I am running for president of the United States! #2020VISION.

Tesla chief executive Musk responded to West’s tweet, saying:

You have my full support!

West’s wife, reality TV star Kim Kardashian West, also responded to her husband’s message by retweeting it with an emoji depicting the American flag.

🇺🇸 https://t.co/i0DIcEE4Jm

— Kim Kardashian West (@KimKardashian) July 5, 2020

It was not immediately clear if West was serious about vying for the presidency four months before the vote takes place on 3 November, or if he had filed any official paperwork to appear on state election ballots.

The deadline to add independent candidates to the ballot has not yet passed in many states.

US President Donald Trump – who West has been a vocal supporter of in the past – is set to go head-to-head with Democratic candidate Joe Biden in November’s election.

West visited Mr. Trump in the Oval Office at the White House in October 2018, where the music star was sporting a red “Make America Great Again” cap.

It is not the first time that 43-year-old West has announced he is running for president.

The rapper – who is said to have a net worth valued at $1.3bn (£1.05bn) – told a crowd at a New York business festival last year that he would run for president in 2024.

And at MTV’s Video Music Awards in 2015, West said he had “decided in 2020 to run for president”.

Justin Nwosu

Justin Nwosu is the founder and publisher of Flavision. His core interest is in writing unbiased news about Nigeria in particular and Africa in general. He’s a strong adherent of investigative journalism, with a bent on exposing corruption, abuse of power and societal ills.