Kanye West Addresses His Reaction to President Trump Question on ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live’

Kanye West enjoyed his Jimmy Kimmel Live! interview so much he tweeted about this weekend, and explained why he was left speechless by one question about President Donald Trump.

During Thursday’s JKL episode, Kimmel reminded West about his infamous 2005 moment when he said President George W. Bush “doesn’t care” about black people during a telethon to raise money for Hurricane Katrina victims. “It makes me wonder, what makes you think that Donald Trump does … or any people at all?” Kimmel asked.

West was left speechless for a moment before Kimmel threw the show to a commercial break. On Twitter, West said he was not stumped, but was just taking his time to think about the question.

“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,” West wrote Saturday afternoon. “The question was so important I took time to think. 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.”

Despite that one awkward moment, West said he was happy to be on Kimmel’s show, especially because Kimmel wore Yeezy sneakers on the show.

“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,” West tweeted.

Earlier in the interview, Kimmel gave West an opportunity to further explain why he supports Trump, a choice that has divided his fan base.

“Just as a musician, African-American, guy out in Hollywood, all these different things — you know, everyone around me tried to pick my candidate for me. And then told me every time I said I liked Trump that I couldn’t say it out loud or my career would be over,” West told Kimmel. “I’d get kicked out of the black community because blacks, we are supposed to have a monolithic thought, we can only be Democrats and all.”

West said he initially feared the reaction from the decision, but finally came clean in April.

“Liberals can’t bully me; news can’t bully me; the hip-hop community, they can’t bully me. Because at that point, if I’m afraid to be me, I’m no longer Ye. That’s what makes Ye,” West said. “And I actually quite enjoy when people actually are mad at me about certain things.”

After watching West’s interview with Kimmel, Trump praised the rapper on Twitter.

“Thank you to Kanye West and the fact that he is willing to tell the TRUTH,” Trump tweeted Friday. “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!”

West released Ye on June 1, and his collaboration with Kid Cudi, Kids See Ghosts, a week later. On Saturday, he released a surprising new song about wife Kim Kardashian West and her sisters, called “XTCY.”

Photo credit: ABC/Randy Holmes