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Kanye West hosted his first campaign rally on Sunday, July 19. The rally was only attended by a limited number of people who were able to register early. However, as AP reported, the campaign’s website didn’t have registration or RSVP information. The small venue where the rally took place appeared to be mostly filled. While most attendees (except for West himself) were wearing masks, the crowd did not appear to be social distancing in the photo. Read on to see crowd photos from the rally.
A Small Crowd Attended West’s First Rally
The rally was at the Exquis Event Center in North Charleston, South Carolina, Politico reported. People attending were told they would be required to wear masks and social distance. They also had to sign a liability release form for possible exposure to COVID-19. West himself did not wear a mask during the rally.
This photo shows people crowded together, but not social distancing.
Via a livestream, I’m covering what will purportedly be @kanyewest‘s first presidential campaign rally, happening today in North Charleston, South Carolina.
2020 continues to be a memorable year.
However, it did appear that most people were wearing masks, even if West himself was not.
Here’s another photo shared on Twitter of the event.
Look how YOUNG the crowd is for Kanye’s event.
Today the game just changed.
An exact crowd count hasn’t been released by West, but it looks like the venue had a passionate crowd that was mostly filled. It’s not clear how many people registered. AP only referred to the attendance as a “crowd.”
Crowds filing in. Kanye is scheduled to arrive at 5pm @WCBD
And here’s a panorama shot of the crowd.
The venue was fairly small.
The crowd was made up of mostly young people, Post and Courier reported, and many people signed a petition to get West on the ballot while they waited in line. West needs 10,000 signatures to get on the ballot in South Carolina. Everyone who attended was given a mask.
Attendees Lined Up Outside Before the Event Started
Attendees lined up outside before the event started. Here’s a video showing the line.
Brittney Cottingham of KFDX/KJTL reported that everyone had to sign liability waivers and they had to get temperature checks before they could go inside.
Here is the crowd so far at Kanye West’s first presidential rally in North Charleston. Everyone inside had to sign liability waivers and temperature checks were required. #KanyeWest2020
Max Bodach on Twitter confirmed the temperature checks.
West appeared to be wearing a bulletproof vest. It had the word “Security” on the label, and West had “2020” shaved into his hair.
West didn’t use a mic, but allowed the crowd to stand near him as he spoke about his viewpoint on many issues.
West first announced his campaign on July 4, 2020, and it wasn’t clear at the time if he was following through with it. Now his website, kanye2020.country, is asking people to sign a petition to get him on the South Carolina ballot. A source close to West’s campaign told Politico that he’s registered in two states so far and doesn’t have a logo for his campaign yet.
This isn’t the first time that West talked about running for President. In November, he said he planned to run for President in 2024, USA Today reported. He made the statement during Fast Company’s Innovation Festival. He said: “When I run for president in 2024, we would’ve created so many jobs that I’m not going to run, I’m going to walk.”
Kanye West took to Twitter on July 4 to tell the world that he wanted to run for President. He wrote: “We must now realize the promise of America by trusting God, unifying our vision and building our future. I am running for president of the United States! #2020VISION.”
Elon Musk responded 10 minutes later, saying: “You have my full support!”
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