Kanye West Says He Reached Out to Colin Kaepernick for Trump Meeting

Updated:

Kanye West said that he contacted Colin Kaepernick to arrange a meeting with President Donald Trump to clear the air.

Harvey Levin, TMZ interviewer, asked West whether it was possible to bring people with strongly held opposing views together or if West should just give up.

“I love it. You asked me the perfect question. You set me up to win,” West said.

“We never give up on anyone. We never give up on anyone. Now let me even make that more positive: We move forward, we give love, we keep going, we keep having the conversation until the conversation turns to love.”

West had made efforts to bring that conversation straight to the White House.

“I’ve been calling Colin this morning, reaching him so I can bring Colin to the White House and we can remove that ‘sons of b-----‘ statement, and we can be on the same page,” West told TMZ Live on Oct. 1.

West was referring to Trump’s use of “sons of b-----” when the president again criticized NFL players for kneeling during the national anthem. Trump was giving a speech on Sept. 21 at a rally for Republican Senator Luther Strange, who is running to remain in the seat vacated by Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

“Luther [Strange] and I, and everyone in this arena tonight are unified by the same great American values,” Trump said. “We’re proud of our country. We respect our flag. Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, ‘Get that son of a b----- off the field right now. Out! He’s fired. He’s fired!'”

Kaepernick first garnered attention for protesting the national anthem at a preseason game on Aug. 26, 2016. By kneeling or sitting during the national anthem, Kaepernick explained he was protesting what he perceived to be oppression against black people and issues of police brutality. Later on, NFL players and athletes in other sports joined the protest.

The NFL banned the practice of kneeling during the national anthem on May 23, but they allowed players to stay in the locker room while it played.

Beyond the Protest

Kaepernick has since engaged in other forms of protest like wearing pig police officer socks to football practice.
Bill Johnson, executive director of the National Association of Police Organizations, couldn’t understand why the NFL would allow Kaepernick to wear apparel that was disrespectful to police officers while the Dallas Cowboys weren’t allowed to wear decal on their helmets as a move to honor fallen police officers involved in the Dallas police shootings, reported USA TODAY Sports.

“I think the league is in a downward spiral regarding their obligations to the public under [Commissioner] Roger Goodell,” added Johnson, “and this is just another example of that.”

Kaepernick responded to Johnson’s comment on Twitter by saying that his socks are meant to single out the “rogue cops” that tarnish the public reputation of police officers. He added that it puts police officers with the “right intentions in danger by creating an environment of tension and mistrust.”

Watch Next: Centralized banks were supposed to end the financial cycles of boom and bust, but instead amplified it. We explore the FederalReserve, state banks, the abandonment of the gold standard, and the financial cycles of debt and irresponsible lending.