Before launching into this important political story I have a rather embarrassing confession to make: I didn’t actually watch the Video Music Awards last night as part of my preparations to report on the critical issues of the day for you. I meant to watch it. It was on my list. But as it turned out there was an Ancient Aliens marathon on the History 2 channel and a guy has to set some priorities someplace.

Well, I certainly have egg on my face now. Had I been tuned in I would have witnessed what may be the earliest declaration of a presidential candidacy in the entire history of the nation. Yes, ladies and gentlemen… Kanye West is running for President of the United States in five years. (Vanity Fair)

“As of this moment, I have decided that I will be running for president in 2020,” West said before dropping the microphone and leaving the stage.

“We’re going to teach our kids to believe in themselves,” he said during the acceptance speech. “I don’t know what I’m going to lose after this. It don’t matter, though. It ain’t about me. It’s about ideas. People with ideas. People who believe in truth.

Before you write this off as some sort of joke, keep in mind that watchers of politics – including the Jerusalem Post – are already speculating that Kanye’s upcoming trip to Israel is likely just a thinly veiled move to bolster his credentials on foreign policy and gain some traction with the Jewish vote.

His announcement to run for the presidency comes ahead of West’s scheduled trip to perform in Israel on September 30 at Ramat Gan Stadium. Is his upcoming trip the launch of his presidential campaign?

For you libertarian in the crowd, you might be ready to give Kanye a serious look. After all, as part of his announcement he seemed to clarify his position on the critical issue of marijuana legalization. In fact, he was high when he broke the news. (USA Today)

Confused by Kanye’s acceptance “speech” for the Video Vanguard Award?

Well, here’s some info that may help you process what just happened: he smoked a little weed beforehand. Yep, he admitted it onstage during his bizarre and rambling address to the crowd.

“The answer is YES. I rolled up a little something. I knocked the edge off.”

And let us not forget what else a Kanye presidency would bring to the party. The First Lady of the United States would be, yep… Kim Kardashian. (Assuming they are still together then.) Given recent patterns of familial dominance in American politics, we should probably just start printing the Kim Kardashian 2028 bumper stickers right now. (She’ll only be 48 by then, still quite young in terms of starting a two term presidential run.)

So this is all a joke, right? Who can say? Look at who is leading in the polls today… and I’m not just talking about the Republicans. The Democrats are starting to look like they’re seriously considering nominating a socialist and a significant amount of their money and power comes out of Hollywood already. People accuse the GOP of being secretly run by billionaire investors, so Trump was just stepping out from behind the curtains to take the tiller in hand himself. If that theory holds any water, why not just let some actor or rapper from Los Angeles step up to the plate for the Democrat nomination?

Exit question: Now that Kanye has officially declared as a candidate, doesn’t he have to start filing FEC reports every quarter from now until November 2020 and account for all of his money?