Kanye West says that he wasn’t left speechless on Jimmy Kimmel Live last week and that he was just thinking of a proper response to a very heavy question.
On Aug. 9, late night host Jimmy Kimmel questioned West about his unwavering support of U.S. President Donald Trump, wondering how that was possible considering West’s very public chastising of former president George W. Bush in 2005.
(During a Hurricane Katrina telethon, West flatly stated: “George Bush doesn’t care about black people.” Comparatively, the hip-hop star has said Trump is his “brother” and that the pair shares the same “dragon energy.”)
READ MORE: Kanye West silenced by Donald Trump question on ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live’
On Aug. 11, West took to Twitter to clear the air about what happened during his appearance on Kimmel’s show.
“On Jimmy Kimmel we had a great time having a dialogue. I’m reading that I was stumped by a question. Let me clarify the click bait. I wasn’t stumped. I wasn’t given a chance to answer the question,” he wrote.
“The question was so important I took time to think,” he continued. “And then I was hit with the let’s go to commercial break. That interview showed strong personalities with different opinions having a civil conversation.”
The Ye rapper added, “I was so happy when I saw Jimmy walk out in the Yeezys. That was an olive branch. He lead with love. I appreciate Jimmy and his team. You guys are Jedi’s. much love.”
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Last week, Kimmel asked how the All Mine rapper could possibly be on Team Trump considering his past points of view. At one point during the long interview, West went on a tear about why he supports the president.
“When I see people just even like go at the president, it’s like, why not try love? … One by one by one, we can diffuse this nuclear bomb of hate of society by thinking of everyone as our family and how we treat our kids,” the 41-year-old rapper said.
Kimmel kept pressing.
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The camera zoomed in on West’s face; the rapper sat flummoxed and silent. He said nothing, and to cut the awkwardness, the show went to commercial. When Kimmel returned, the pair moved on to new topics and didn’t revisit the issue of supporting Trump.
On Aug. 10, Trump wrote about West’s interview, which aired Thursday night, on Twitter. “Thank you to Kanye West and the fact that he is willing to tell the TRUTH,” Trump wrote. “One new and great FACT – African American unemployment is the lowest ever recorded in the history of our Country. So honored by this. Thank you Kanye for your support. It is making a big difference!”
—With files from Chris Jancelewicz
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