Trump: I'm not racist, see my black friend? Kanye: I'm not crazy, see my important friend?

Culture is powerful. I think Trump wished he had more celebrity support during his campaign.

Dude, see my comment. He is not a "moderately popular entertainer". Like it or not, he is one of the most famous artists alive, widely considered extremely talented by those in the industry (even those who think he's a horse's ass), and has been since waaaaaaaaay before anyone heard of the Kardashians.

Trump is meeting with lots of people daily, the media and public pay more attention to some than others.

Trump has been called close-minded and anti-science,

he meets with Gore and Bill Gates;

Called a threat to peace,

he meets/talks with world leaders;

racist,

Kanye, Ray Lewis, Jim Brown.

He's meeting with democrats, republican rivals, business leaders, stars. Just you and the media focused on Kanye.

Omission of information is a powerful tool for the MSM.

So is lying. RUSSIAAAA!

Look at most celebs and their relationship to Obama and Hillary. Jay Z brags about texting Obama all the time.

Trump likes celebrities, wants to be seen around certain black ones who have publicly supported him, they've apparently met before through the reality TV business.

I think that this is probably the most accurate response. I don't think it means anything more than publicity for the both of them.

Trump wants black cred and Kanye's an attention whore.

It seems as if you don't realize who our new president is.

$$$$$$

Listen to his final rant on stage and hear it for yourself, in order to understand. He refused to perform and instead went on a tangent, which turned very political. And then even though it was his own show, someone else walked up on stage to try to grab him off the stage as the audience booed him away. It was basically like a political protest of sorts where he tried to use the fact that he had so many people's full attention, to get out his political message.

But it was also a barely coherent rant and just generally not executed / thought out very well. Plus people close to him were already concerned for him because he was showing signs of mania (bipolar) like not sleeping for days at a time (which in itself can cause issues). Some other signs of mania include delusions of grandeur, racing thoughts, aggression, etc.

Anyway his political rant also included talking about the election and how everyone was lied to by the MSM about which candidate was more popular / likely to win. He also went off on leftist politicians for talking the talk but not walking the walk (my interpretation, not his actual words, you'll have to listen for yourself to see what you think).

So since part of his mentally-going-off-the-rails (at least judgement-wise if nothing else) did include politics relevant to Trump in the rant, I don't think it's super surprising that Trump gave the guy a 15 minute pep talk after he was released from hospitalization.

He's part of the brainwashing propaganda machine

Look, love Kanye or hate him: he is not just known for having "a rapper persona", he is one of the most famous and recognized musicians in the world, has been for a decade (long before anyone knew what a Kardashian was), and is widely regarded as one of the most talented producers and composers in the genre.

If your response to that last part is "oh he's not talented anyone can go and make music like that", well, do it. Go do it and show me how easy it is to make and get back to me ;)

Does Kanye let his talent and fame go to his head. Uhh yeah a little from time lol. Narcissism and talent can go hand in hand. Honestly, he and Trump have a lot in common. They SHOULD be hanging out.

Its been kinda funny to see reaction from the left, like "how DARE he associate with HIM". Um geez I dunno maybe because it's ok to have a dialogue with someone even if you disagree with them on some things? The left has not been very open minded to dissent lately, and I believe that atmosphere led to Kanye feeling stifled and alienated, so he thought that being seen beside the man could have an impact if some sort, and Trump agreed.

Just to clarify, that last paragraph was in no way directed at you OP! Just a general rant against some ppl in my Facebook feed.

I'd also add though: presidential photo ops alongside musicians have actually been pretty common over the years. Considering Trump doesn't exactly have his pick of the litter when it comes to celebrity support, and Kanye's degree of fame, I bet Trump jumped at the opportunity.

It's advertisements for both of them. Trump is hip and cool by hanging out with him while kanye so cool he even is friends with the president. Similar story: this famous russian rapper, brags about how Putin is his homy https://youtu.be/lRK2XRJ2i34

while kanye so cool he even is friends with the president.

This is not what's happening at all. I don't frequent the parts of the internet where his potential fans discuss these things, but I've seen that he's being hit pretty hard with the whole "Uncle Tom" accusation and similar abuse. Kinda sad. I don't think he's meeting Trump for his career.

I was wondering the same thing all day yesterday. Looking forward to the answers.

I actually found that to be very interesting. Kanye freaked out, was hospitalized, and his first (? At least one of the first) public appearance is making a point of getting a picture taken with Trump. Could be nothing interesting, but I wonder if he went to him for protection and wanted to make sure it was documented.

Yes it is very strange. Everything just seems like a tv show now, you even get the little line from Trump at the end "Take care of yourself."

Like, what the fuck is going on?

It isn't strange at all, celebrities and presidents meet all the time.

http://thumbs.media.smithsonianmag.com//filer/Indelible-Nixon-Elvis-631.jpg__800x600_q85_crop.jpg

This makes Trump 50% more influential than any other president.

And Kanye is gonna run for president next term.