Kanye West Reveals Why He Turned Down Invite To Trump's Inauguration

BY Elias Andrews 1.8K Views
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President-Elect Donald Trump Holds Meetings At Trump Tower
NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 13: (L to R) President-elect Donald Trump and Kanye West walk into the lobby at Trump Tower, December 13, 2016 in New York City. President-elect Donald Trump and his transition team are in the process of filling cabinet and other high level positions for the new administration. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
The rapper considered attending.

Kanye West has spent the last decade neck deep in controversy. The rapper and formerly beloved pop culture icon has made one polarizing decision after another. For many, the string of controversies really kicked off when West endorsed Donald Trump during the 2016 presidential election. The rapper made it clear he adored Trump, even though his actions in subsequent years have contradicted this statement. Kanye West claimed he was invited to Trump's recent inauguration, but turned it down because he did not want agree with the President's alleged conditions.

Kanye West previewed an episode of the Respectfully Justin podcast during a Grammy after-party on Sunday. TMZ reported that West played clips from the episode on a screen, and one of them included a discussion about Donald Trump. West claimed the President asked him to issue a public apology for his antisemitic remarks before he attended the inauguration. This was not something the rapper wanted to do. "I was gonna go to the inauguration. Until [I was told] I had to write another apology saying yeah, that I wasn’t… what’s the word?." The word, as previously stated, is "antisemitic."

Kanye West Didn't Comply With Trump's Alleged Request

Kanye West reportedly turned down Donald Trump's invite because he did not appreciate the censorship he felt was being practiced. "It's this censorship stigma." West's reticence to issue an apology may be a bit confusing to fans. Especially given that he already issued one in 2023. The rapper got on Instagram to make it clear he regretted his remarks about the Jewish community. "I sincerely apologize to the Jewish community for any unintended outburst caused by my words or actions," Kanye West wrote. "It was not my intention to offend or demean, and I deeply regret any pain I may have caused." The post was taken down shortly after.

Kanye West's comments about the inauguration took a backseat to his Grammy appearance, however. The rapper appeared on the red carpet alongside his wife, Bianca Censori, who wore a sheer dress with nothing underneath. West and Censori was allegedly kicked out of the Grammy ceremony, but TMZ went on to clarify that no such confrontation went down. Regardless, Kanye West and Censori have been the target of widespread criticism for their appearance.

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About The Author
Elias Andrews is a music and entertainment writer for HotNewHipHop. He joined HNHH in 2024 as the lead night shift contributor, which means he covers new music releases on a weekly basis. In the year since joining, Elias has covered some of the biggest and most turbulent stories in the world of music. He covered the Drake and Kendrick Lamar battle, and the release of the disses “Family Matters” and “Meet the Grahams,” in particular, in real time. He has also detailed the ongoing list of allegations and criminal charges made against Diddy. Elias’ favorite artists are Andre 3000, MF Doom, pre-808s Kanye West and Tyler, The Creator. He loves L.A. hip-hop but not L.A. sports teams. The first album he ever bought was Big Willie Style by Will Smith, which he maintains is still a pretty good listen.