President Donald Trump plans to meet with hip-hop superstar and fashion mogul Kanye West on Thursday at the White House.
The White House confirmed on Tuesday a New York Times report that West plans to have lunch with the president.
“Kanye West is coming to the White House to have lunch with President Trump and he will also meet with Jared Kushner,” White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement to reporters.
West will discuss issues important to the black community with the president, including job opportunities for former prisoners, increasing manufacturing jobs and reducing violence in Chicago,
He recently sparked controversy for wearing Trump’s “Make America Great Again” campaign hat on Saturday Night Live.
“I am American, and I support and give my ideas and support and brilliance to whoever ends up in office,” he said in an interview with TMZ after the show. “That’s my stance, as an American. I support our president, bottom line, no matter who they are.”
West has urged the black community to open their hearts to Trump instead of criticizing the president as a racist.
“For someone to grow, they need to know that they got love. That someone loves, and that someone is leading with love, or that a group of people is leading with love,” he said. “There’s no way to start a dialogue with ‘Fuck you.’ That’s not how you lead with love.”