Just a few hours after Kanye West officially qualified to be on the presidential ballot in Utah, a top Republican leader in the state took a jab at… Taylor Swift.
Election officials in Utah confirmed that the rapper submitted his required paperwork on Aug. 17, just beating the state's deadline to be included on the November ballot. Officials quickly said that Kanye's paperwork was approved and he's officially on the ballot.
After Kanye qualified, Utah Republican Party Chairman Derek Brown issued an unsolicited statement seemingly intending to support Donald Trump while simultaneously dragging Kanye's longtime nemesis.
"We welcome Kanye into the race, knowing that Utahns will nonetheless elect Donald Trump this November. We are also waiting for confirmation of rumors swirling that Taylor Swift is unhappy with Kayne's late entry, and believes that his candidacy may help the President's re-election efforts," he said, according to Fox13. "She may, in effect, join him on the political stage, grab the mic, and say 'look what you made me do.' It is 2020, after all."
Utah is a highly Republican state and is widely expected to vote in favor of reelecting Trump in November.
Earlier this month, reports claimed Republican operatives were helping Kanye get on the ballot in some states, hoping his longshot presidential bid will siphon votes from presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden. When told by Forbes that his bid looks like an effort to pull votes from Biden, Kanye said, "I'm not going to argue with you." Just last week, Kanye, who previously supported Trump, fanned those flames when he tweeted about meeting with Trump's advisor and son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Although he previously said he was running as a member of the "Birthday Party," Kanye will run "unaffiliated" in Utah, meaning he doesn't belong to any particular party.
Kanye did not appear in person in Utah to submit his paperwork but sent a proxy, Fox13 noted.