WASHINGTON—White House adviser Jared Kushner on Thursday confirmed that he had met recently with entertainer Kanye West, who is seeking to get his name on ballots for the Nov. 3 U.S. presidential election.
West is a supporter of Republican President Donald Trump, and some view his bid to run for president himself as intended to have a spoiling effect that would help Trump and hurt Democrat Joe Biden.
Asked whether he had discussed the campaign with West, Kushner told reporters at the White House, “We had a general discussion, more about policy.”
Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and an influential political adviser to the president, said he and West had known each other for some time and met when they both were in Colorado.
West posted a tweet late Tuesday night saying they discussed a book on empowering black Americans.
Biden served as vice president under President Barack Obama, the country’s first black president. Biden announced this week that Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) would be his running mate. Harris is the first black woman and the first Indian American to be part of a major-party presidential ticket.
Biden has benefited from strong support from black voters in his quest to become the 2020 Democratic presidential nominee.
A West run for office could be seen as a maneuver to siphon some black supporters away from Biden in the general election.
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