Kanye West, wannabe president, on coronavirus: ‘We need to stop doing things that make God mad’

Jul 12 , 2020

What’s Kanye West said now? The US rapper reveals he had coronavirus and makes false claims about vaccines. Photo: AP

Potential US presidential candidate Kanye West claims he beat Covid-19 with hot showers, and sets up his stall to succeed Donald Trump into the White House by spreading conspiracy theories that demonic influences control vaccinations – and admitting he’s never voted

Kanye West, who floored jaws by announcing his intention to run for president of the United States, told Forbes in an interview that he had the coronavirus in February – and also let rip on a whole host of outlandish conspiracy theories to do with Covid-19.

The rapper, 43, said he suffered “chills” and “shaking in the bed” when he had the disease caused by the novel coronavirus that has so far infected at least three million Americans Americans and killed more than 130,000 at the time of press. He treated the illness by “taking hot showers” and “looking at videos” that told him how to best treat the disease, he told Forbes.

“I remember someone had told me Drake had the coronavirus and my response was: Drake can't be sicker than me!” West said.

In the same interview, West offered conspiracy theories about a potential vaccine – and offered no apparent evidence to support them. “It's so many of our children that are being vaccinated and paralysed … So when they say the way we're going to fix Covid is with a vaccine, I'm extremely cautious,” he said.

Alex Azar, secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), speaks while President Trump listens during an event at the White House. Photo: CNP/Bloomberg

A growing movement in the US against vaccines has already caused diseases once thought to be eradicated – like the measles – to return in some communities. Some so-called “anti-vaxxers” have already said they won't support a Covid-19 vaccine.

West suggested a demonic influence behind vaccinations, baselessly saying it was related to chip implants, and that it would stop people from getting into heaven.

“That's the mark of the beast,” West told Forbes' Randall Lane. “They want to put chips inside of us, they want to do all kinds of things, to make it where we can't cross the gates of heaven. I'm sorry when I say they, the humans that have the Devil inside them. And the sad thing is that, the saddest thing is that we all won't make it to heaven, that there'll be some of us that do not make it.”