Kanye West has broken down after delivering a speech on abortion during his first presidential campaign rally.
The rapper, who announced his bid for presidency on the 4th of July, spoke to the crowd in South Carolina on Sunday, revealing he stopped his wife Kim Kardashian from getting an abortion when she got pregnant with their daughter North.
“[Kim] brought North into the world even when I didn’t want to. She stood up and she protected that child.”
“I almost killed my daughter,” he said through tears.
“My girlfriend called me screaming, crying. I’m a rapper. And she said I’m pregnant. She was crying.
The musician then said he got a sign from God, and encouraged Kim to keep their child.
“My screen went black and white. And God said, if you f*** with my vision I f*** with yours.
“And I called my girlfriend and said we’re going to have this child. Even if my wife were to divorce me after this speech, she brought North into this world, when I did not want to.”
He then shouted to the crowd: “She had the pills in her hand…I almost killed my daughter!”
“My Mum saved my life. My Dad wanted to abort me,” the entrepreneur revealed as he broke down, “there would have been no Kanye West because my Dad was too busy.”
“Abortion should be legal but the option of maximum increase should be available,” before suggesting a financial incentive for struggling mothers.
During the emotional speech, Kanye stated he did not care whether he won the presidency or not.
“I don’t give a f*** if I win the presidency or not. I care about homeless people in front of the Gucci store.”
Following the rally, the father-of-four took to Twitter to share images of his #2020Vision – an illustration of the White House.
“THE WEST WING #2020VISION,” he wrote.
THE WEST WING #2020VISION pic.twitter.com/QvhgIzJCcv
— ye (@kanyewest) July 19, 2020
The news follows reports that Kim Kardashian and her family are “very concerned” about her husband, amid fears he’s “in the middle of a serious bipolar episode”.
Kanye sparked concern after he took part in a “rambling interview” with Forbes magazine, in which he made a number of controversial statements.
TMZ reported: “Kanye announced he’s running for president via Twitter over the weekend, and also did a rambling interview with Forbes … which drew harsh criticism, confusion and concern.”
People magazine also quoted sources who have claimed Kim is “worried” about her husband’s wellbeing.
The insider said: “Kanye has been doing well for a long time. In the past, he has suffered both manic and depressive episodes related to his bipolar disorder. Right now, he is struggling again.”
“Kim is concerned, as well as her whole family. It’s super stressful for Kim, because Kanye’s behavior is very unpredictable. She is worried.”
“The episodes usually last for a few weeks and then things go back to normal. Kim hopes it will be the same this time,” the source added.
During his controversial interview with Forbes last week, the rapper admitted that he was “pro-life” and “anti-vaccine”.
The father-of-four then claimed that Planned Parenthood, a nonprofit organisation that provides sexual health care in the US, was founded by “white supremacists to do the devil’s work”.
Kanye’s stance came as a shock to fans, as his wife Kim has previously advocated for the organisation, and she even dedicated an episode of Keeping Up With The Kardashians to Planned Parenthood.
In the 2017 episode, Kim and her sisters Kourtney and Khloe met with women who have been supported by the organisation.
After their meeting, Kim said: “The perception of Planned Parenthood is that it is an abortion clinic; that is nothing what it is like.”
“Hearing that first hand [women’s stories] really made it real for me,” she added, before later posting about the experience on Instagram saying she stood with the organisation.
“My sisters and I visited Planned Parenthood recently and learned that the House of Representatives forced through a bill that strips health care coverage from millions of people and raises health care costs, including Planned Parenthood patients,” she wrote.
“They are such an amazing place that provides so much to so many! #istandwithpp.”
In response to Kanye’s statement, Planned Parenthood’s Nia-Martin Robinson said: “Women are free to make our own decisions about our bodies and pregnancies, and want and deserve to have access to the best medical care available.”
“The real threat to Black communities’ safety, health, and lives stems from lack of access to quality, affordable health care, police violence and the criminalization of reproductive health care by anti-abortion opposition.”
During his interview with Forbes, Kanye also revealed that he contracted the coronavirus back in February – but said he was sceptical about a COVID vaccine.
He said: “It’s so many of our children that are being vaccinated and paralyzed… So when they say the way we’re going to fix Covid is with a vaccine, I’m extremely cautious. That’s the mark of the beast.”
Kim Kardashian previously encouraged vaccinations, taking her whole family to get a vaccine against the whopping cough in a 2013 episode of Keeping Up With The Kardashians.
This isn’t the first time Kim and Kanye have clashed over their political views.
Kanye was previously vocal about his support for US President Donal Trump, despite Kim being a registered democrat.
In a 2019 interview with New York Magazine’s The Cut, Kim spoke about overcoming her differences with Kanye.
“It’s okay to not understand each other. It’s okay to not have the same exact feelings all the time,” she said.
