It began with Samson and Delilah, the original gangsters of power partnerships. Many years later, the world delivered to us Batman and Robin, and we thought we had everything we ever wanted. Society gave us hundreds of tandem titans, dynamic duos, double troubles (the right kind), it was a great time to be alive. We thought we had hit the goldmine, but then came perhaps the most exceptional combination in modern history, Peanut Butter and Jelly. This mind-boggling combination of the salty, nuttiness of a peanut, paired with the sweet, gelatinous preserve of a grape, was too much for the world to handle. We peaked, the most magnificent duet ever performed on the global stage, and it tasted incredible.
Maybe we grew too comfortable, the follies of Abbot and Costello were a mere distraction from something coming over the horizon. A duplet headed our way, one that was as shocking as it was perplexing; President Donald Trump and rap artist Kanye West. The world’s greatest minds have left their life’s work behind to decipher the machinations of this pairing.
Kanye West, music producer, rapper, and creator of some of most significant records of the last two decades shares President Trump’s adoration of Twitter (TWTR) as an outlet for whatever seems to be on his mind. Last April, Kanye tweeted his admiration of his good friend, President Trump:
“You don’t have to agree with Trump but the mob can’t make me not love him. We are both dragon energy. He is my brother. I love everyone. I don’t agree with everything anyone does. That’s what makes us individuals. And we have the right to independent thought.”
President Trump returned the love by sending Kanye a “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) baseball cap, which Kanye immediately wore and took a photo to share on Instagram (FB) and Twitter (TWTR) accounts.
Months of healthy communication,” man-dates,” and sleepovers later, Kanye and President Trump are set to meet at the White House on Thursday for lunch. According to CNN, West requested the meeting with the President to discuss the many societal issues plaguing America that he is passionate. The topics of discussion for lunch, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement, “will include manufacturing resurgence in America, prison reform, how to prevent gang violence and what can be done to reduce violence in Chicago.”
Kanye hopes to discuss two major issues during his White House playdate: job opportunities for ex-convicts and ways to increase manufacturing jobs in and around his hometown of Chicago, CNN reports. West and Trump will not be alone at this lunch meeting, NFL star and civil rights activist, Jim Brown, will also be in attendance. Brown has met with the President before to discuss the many issues facing African-Americans in our country. Evidence found by the Sentencing Project, a Washington, DC-based group that advocates for prison reform, suggests that “one in every three black males born today will be incarcerated in their lifetime, along with one in every six Latino males, and one in every 17 white males.” This upsetting truth depicts the life of black males living in America. Just because of the color of their skin, they have a 33% chance of ending up in prison. Kanye West and Jim Brown, both of whom are African-American males, are incredibly passionate about bringing an end to this systemic issue.
President Trump on Thursday before his lunch meeting with West described West a both a “very different guy” and a “genius” who will be a great asset in reforming the prison industrial complex in America.
“He’s a very different guy, I say that in a positive way. Those in the music business say he’s a genius, and that’s okay with me.”
– President Donald Trump
I am less curious about the proposed topics West, Brown, and the President will discuss during their meeting, but rather, what is on the menu for their meal. My best guess is peanut butter & jelly sandwiches.
