President Donald Trump sought to put some breathing room between himself and Kanye West on Wednesday, claiming he's completely in the dark on Republican efforts to help the rapper get on November's general election ballot.
Several GOP operatives with ties to Trump are openly helping West's quixotic third-party 2020 bid, but the president told reporters at the White House that any such backdoor dealings are unbeknownst to him and his campaign.
"Kim Kardashian, she's got a good heart, a very good heart, and I like Kanye very much," Trump said in the briefing room, referring to West's wife, "but I have nothing to do with him getting on the ballot."
Tim Murtaugh, Trump's campaign communications director, offered a similar statement earlier in the day: "We have no knowledge of anything Kanye West is doing or who is doing it for him."
The blanket denials came one day after Lane Ruhland, a Republican lawyer who has worked for the Trump campaign, delivered signatures to Wisconsin's board of elections on behalf of West's campaign in order to get him on the ballot in the state.
Ruhland is not alone.
Republican lawyers with various ties to Trump's campaign have also collected and delivered signatures for West in Ohio, West Virginia and Colorado.
The Republican boost for West has sparked speculation that Trump is trying to use the rap star's campaign as a tool to steer votes away from Joe Biden.
Such speculation has been bolstered by the fact that GOP operatives are primarily working to get West on the ballot in battleground states like Wisconsin, which are crucial to the president's reelection chances.
West, who is running as an independent candidate for the curiously named "Birthday Party," did not return a request for comment via a spokesman late Wednesday.
West used to be a supporter of Trump, but said he was "taking the red hat off" by launching his presidential bid last month. The "Famous" rapper's newfound interest in politics comes as his wife says he's struggling with serious mental health issues.
David Bowen, a Democratic state representative in Wisconsin, said it appears Trump's campaign is taking advantage of West.
"This is clearly a targeted effort by Republican operatives to cause confusion and problems for typically Democratic voters on Election Day," Bowen said on CNN. "It's sad to see a popular music artist like Kanye be used as a pawn to trick his own people and fans to vote for a fake campaign."
