Harriet Tubman didn’t free slaves? 5 quotes from Kanye West’s South Carolina rally

Charles Duncan
·2 min read

Holding his first rally in a late bid to get on the presidential ballot, Kanye West left many confused after he criticized Harriet Tubman, talked about making marijuana free and explained why he was pro-life but said abortion should be legal.

West spoke to the crowd wearing a protective vest and “2020” cut into his hair, according to WCSC. People at the rally struggled to hear the Grammy-winning rapper when he opted not to use a microphone during the event, the television station reported.

Here are five quotes from West’s rally Sunday in North Charleston, South Carolina:

  • Speaking about Harriet Tubman, the legendary woman who helped lead enslaved people north along the Underground Railroad, West said she “never actually freed the slaves, she just had them work for other white people,” according to the Associated Press.

  • Speaking about abortion, West became tearful when he said he and his wife almost decided to abort their first child, WCIV reports. He said he supports abortion rights but wanted to stop people from getting abortions by giving mothers a “maximum increase,” and explained that means “everybody that has a baby gets a million dollars,” according to the station. “I don’t have the funding for it. But I have the platform to share the idea,” West said.

  • Marijuana “should be free,” West said, according to ABC News, though it’s not clear why he said it.

  • “Freedom does not come from an election. The freedom comes from you not loading up the pornography. The freedom comes from you not taking the Percoset,” he said, Reuters reports.

  • According to Reuters, “At times, he even seemed to suggest he was more interested in disseminating a message than winning the presidency.” West ended the rally by saying, “That was extremely good. That was extremely bad. Vote 2020. I’m out,” WCIV reports.

West missed a Monday deadline to deliver a petition with 10,000 signatures to get on the presidential ballot in South Carolina, The State reported.

He has already missed the deadline to get on the presidential ballot in several states, according to the AP, but did qualify to get on the ballot in Oklahoma.