Kanye West and Candace Owens: The fashion designer and the far-right activist wear t-shirts that say “White Lives Matter”.
USA – “Make America Great Again”, or MAGA for short, was the infamous campaign slogan of former US President Donald Trump. When it comes to the MAGA movement or MAGA Republicans, everyone in the USA knows what is meant: the fanatical Trump supporters or the extreme right-wing Republican politicians who emulate their idol and stand by him.
At Donald Trump’s campaign events, which he has held at regular intervals since his presidential candidacy in mid-2015, there is usually at least one black person in the audience behind him with a sign that reads “Blacks for Trump”. While only 8 percent of African Americans voted for the Republican in 2020, when he defeated Democrat Hillary Clinton in 2016, it was just 6 percent.
Kanye West and Candace Owens etch against other black people
Two prominent black Trump fans are Kanye West and Candace Owens. West, who now goes by just “Ye,” was once a known rapper in the early millennium but has since expanded his prominence to include fashion design, a failed marriage to Kim Kardashian and right-wing controversy. Candace Owens is a far-right political activist. In particular, the business model of both is to etch blacks against other blacks. This endears both to a right-wing, white audience who thinks they can relate to these two “black posters” without being considered racist themselves.
The latest controversy staged for media attention by Kanye West and Candace Owens is a t-shirt reading “White Lives Matter” worn by the two and models at a fashion show in Paris. In response to the expected criticism, West posted on Instagram, “Everybody knows/Black Lives Matter was a scam/Now it’s over/You’re welcome.”
Kanye West worships Trump – Candace Owens downplays Hitler
It’s not the first time Kanye West has polarized with his fashion choices. He has sported the red MAGA baseball cap, which Donald Trump and his supporters are often seen wearing, on several occasions. It is also not the first time that he has provoked with his choice of words. In a lengthy 2018 radio interview, he said of slavery in the US, which victimized black people, that it was their choice – they were “mentally trapped”.
Candace Owens once said of Adolf Hitler in connection with nationalism: “If only Hitler had wanted to make Germany great – ok, fine. The problem is that he had dreams outside of Germany. He wanted to globalize. He wanted everyone to become German.” (Johanna Soll)
