Kanye says meets with Trump to discuss 'multicultural issues'

By: USA Today

The rapper had arrived around 9 a.m. ET with an entourage in tow but without wife Kim Kardashian West. Half an hour later, West and Trump re-emerged in the lobby, where they posed for photos. But at the time, the rapper refused to answer questions about the purpose of his visit, saying, "I just want to take a picture right now."

Trump later told the press that he had "discussed life" with West, whom he called a friend and a "good man."

Their meeting came one day after Trump's controversial choice of Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson for secretary of state and just before news broke that he planned to nominate former Texas governor Rick Perry to head the Department of Energy, one of the agencies he said he wanted to get rid of during the Republican primaries.

West, 39, caused controversy last month when he publicly declared that, had he voted in the 2016 presidential election at all, he would have voted for Donald Trump. That declaration from West, who once said that "George Bush doesn't care about black people" during a 2005 telethon for Hurricane Katrina victims, shocked and angered many of his fans.

At that November concert, West said that he's "glad Trump inspired racists to reveal themselves" and that he's still thinking about running for president in 2020, a statement he made in August of 2015 at the MTV Video Music Awards. West also praised the power of music to unify people after a polarizing election, saying, "I'm not asking y'all on your opinions on who's better, but there are people who voted for either side that come together for music."

Days following his controversial remarks West cut a Sacremento concert short, but not before calling out Beyoncé and addressing Jay Z: "Call me, brah, you still ain't call me. Jay Z, I know you got killas, please don't send them at my head. Just call me. Talk to me like a man," he said. The following 21 remaining tour dates on West's Saint Pablo tour were canceled shortly after.

On Nov. 21 West was hospitalized to be treated for exhaustion and dehydration. He spent more than a week at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, including Thanksgiving, and was released to continue treatment on an outpatient basis. On Dec. 9 West was spotted at a West Hollywood museum, sporting newly blonde hair, making his trip to Trump Tower his second public appearance since the hospitalization.

West is not the only celebrity to have visited Trump Tower since the transition began. Leonardo DiCaprio, an outspoken environmental advocate, met with Trump and his daughter Ivanka last week to give a presentation on how renewable energy could create jobs.