Hip-hop star Kanye West has said he discussed "multicultural issues" with US President-elect Donald Trump during their meeting at Trump Tower in New York on Tuesday.
West, who previously announced plans to run for the US presidency in 2020, tweeted that he talked about "issues including bullying, supporting teachers, modernising curriculums, and violence in Chicago" with the businessman-turned-politician.
I wanted to meet with Trump today to discuss multicultural issues.
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) December 13, 2016
"I feel it is important to have a direct line of communication with our future president if we truly want change," said the rapper in his first Twitter posts in almost two months. He also tweeted "#2024", perhaps referring to a new date for his own presidential bid.
In one of those golden, year-end photo opportunities, West and Trump posed in the lobby at Trump Tower, with the US President-elect saying they had been friends for a "long time".
West arrived at the Manhattan skyscraper on Tuesday morning (US time) and spent 40 minutes with President-elect Trump.
When asked by reporters about their conversation, Trump replied: "Just friends, just friends. He's a good man" before adding that they had discussed "life". Presumably their existential musings didn't include West's now-legendary video for Famous, which featured a naked waxwork of Trump sharing a bed with the rapper, wife Kim Kardashian and other celebrities.
Trump did not tell reporters whether West would perform at his inauguration while the singer dodged questions by saying: "I'm just here to take a picture right now."
Saying their goodbyes with a dap, Trump said: "So long, man. You take care of yourself. I'll see you soon."
West looked healthy and happy following his recent hospitalisation at the UCLA Medical Center for mental health issues caused by exhaustion and lack of sleep.
The New York Times quoted a Trump spokesperson as saying that West had requested the meeting.
"We were delighted to host him," Hope Hicks said in an email to the paper, adding, "They had a very positive and productive conversation." West also had Trump autograph the issue of Time magazine featuring the President-elect on the cover.
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) December 14, 2016
Three days before being hospitalised, West told the audience at his concert in San Jose, California that had he voted in the US presidential election, he would have supported Trump.
"I would've voted on Trump" he told the crowd, many of whom booed.
"I would've voted for Trump" - @kanyewest pic.twitter.com/XtyUteCgUZ
— albertoreyes (@albertoreyes) November 18, 2016
"I don't think his approach was just entertaining, because that trivialises it," he continued. "I actually think his approach was absolutely genius because it f****** worked."
Despite branding West's interruption of Taylor Swift's acceptance speech at 2009's MTV Video Music Awards as "disgusting", Trump has shared his admiration of the music star - and his presidential ambitions. At a rally in September 2015, he told the crowd: "Kanye West, I'll never say bad about him. You know why? Because he loves Trump... He goes around saying Trump is my all-time hero."
In a Rolling Stone interview published in the same month, Trump said of West: "He's said very nice things about me in the past... Extremely positive things... He's actually a different kind of person than people think. He's a nice guy. I hope to run against him someday."
