In the latest development of the Kanye West saga, the rapper is expected to meet with President Donald Trump and his son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner on Thursday, according to a report in the New York Times.
The Times’ sources say West will first meet with Kushner and then have lunch with President Trump.
West’s meeting follows that of his wife, Kim Kardashian West, in May, which resulted in the release of 63-year-old Alice Marie Johnson, who was sentenced to life in prison in 1996 for a first-time non-violent drug offense. The report indicates West is meeting with Kushner and Trump to discuss similar issues, as Kushner has been tasked with overseeing criminal justice reform for the White House.
The report also stated that West and Trump would discuss how to create more manufacturing jobs in West’s native Chicago area.
The meeting will not be West’s first with the President, as the two came face-to-face in a much-publicized meeting in Trump Tower in 2016 during the presidential transition.
West has come under fire over the past two years for his pro-Trump stances and his comments on slavery, which have ranged in medium from tweets to an interview at TMZ headquarters, a bizarre appearance at Fader, and, most recently, an onstage rant after his recent hosting of “SNL.” West has since apologized for his comments indicating that slavery was a choice.