Kanye West, Trump To Have Lunch To Talk Chicago Jobs, Crime

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Because 21st century politics plays out like a raving lunatic's Mad Libs book, President Donald Trump plans to meet this week with hip-hop artist and Chicago native Kanye West, according to a White House press release Tuesday. The mutual admirers will sit down for lunch with presidential adviser Jared Kushner, the release stated.

"Topics of discussions will include manufacturing resurgence in America, prison reform, how to prevent gang violence, and what can be done to reduce violence in Chicago," the White House said without a hint of irony.

According to the New York Times, the lunch is scheduled for Thursday at the White House. West wants to talk about bringing more jobs to the Chicago area, the report added. In September, the music star said he planned on moving back to his hometown, despite recently renovating the $20 million California home he shares with his wife, Kim Kardashian, and his three children, Saint, Chicago and North.

This mini-Chicago crime summit also comes on the heels of Trump asking Attorney Jeff Sessions to "straighten out" the city's crime and gun violence problem. Chicago has been a personal speed bag for the president, who has blasted city leaders during the 2016 election and throughout his term. At one point, Trump threatened to "call in the Feds" to Chicago, a vague and specious ultimatum that was criticized by community activists and state and city officials.

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This isn't the first time Trump and West have met since the former won the presidency. The two spoke in December 2016 at Trump Tower in New York City to discuss "multicultural issues."

West — or Ye, as he's calling himself currently — hasn't been shy of showing his support for Trump. During an appearance on the season premiere of "Saturday Night Live" on Sept. 29, he donned a Make America Great Again cap and went on a pro-Trump tirade.

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“You don’t have to agree with trump but the mob can’t make me not love him,” West Ye tweeted earlier this year on his now-deleted Twitter account, which he purged along with his Instagram feed. “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.”

And Trump has been grateful for West's Ye's support. At a rally in April, the president said the Kardashian by marriage "gets it" when it comes to African-American unemployment. And at an NRA rally in May, Trump claimed West Ye "must have some power because … I doubled my African-American poll numbers."

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Despite the current gushing, the president hasn't always been a West Ye fan. After the rapper's infamous stage-storming during 2009's MTV Video Music Awards — his "I'mma let you finish" moment with award-winner Taylor Swift — Trump went on TMZ to call for a Kanye West Ye boycott and called the display "disgusting" and "grandstanding to get attention," again without a shred of irony or self-awareness.

Kushner, Trump's son-in-law, has been behind possible sentence reform by the administration and has met with Kim Kardashian on the topic. It's unclear if Kushner and West Ye will discuss their experiences marrying in to rich, attention-starved families.

This is an opinion article. The opinions expressed in this piece do not necessarily reflect the views of Patch Media

Donald Trump, then-president-elect, and Kanye West meet in Dec. 13, 2016, at Trump Tower in New York City. (Photo via Shutterstock)