Kanye West: Trump Is My Brother.
LEMON: Remember when Kanye West said out loud, George Bush doesn't care about black people? Well, today Kanye West has a lot of people wondering if he cares about black people. Rapper Kanye West tweeting today, you don't have to agree with Trump, but the mob can't make me not love him. 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. Well, the President's response was a simple, thank you, Kanye, very cool. So let's discuss now, CNN Political Commentator, Marc Lamont Hill. He is the author of "Beats, Rhymes, and Classroom Life: Hip-hop Pedagogy" -- what is that, pedagogy? Say that.</s>MARC LAMONT HILL, PROFESSOR, TEMPLE UNIVERSITY: Pedagogy.</s>LEMON: Pedagogy. That's all about politics -- I can't see with my new glasses on -- and the Politics of Identity. And also with me, Political Commentators, Paris Dennard, and David Swerdlick. Thank you so much. I will give you the first question then. So he said -- he shared about his Twitter love with Ebro in Hot 97, he said that he loves Donald Trump.</s>HILL: Yes, so...</s>LEMON: And that he visited him during the 2016 transition.</s>HILL: Yes.</s>LEMON: Why does he love Donald Trump?</s>HILL: He was at a concert in San Jose -- the Pablo Tour in '16, and said, if I would have voted, I would have voted for Donald Trump. So he's been shouting out Donald Trump for a long time. I think it's weird. I think it's disappointing to see Kanye go from someone who had the courage to stand up, and say George Bush doesn't care about black people, which was a courageous moment, a protection, and defensive for black people, and the vulnerable in general to go to that -- to defending someone who's campaign was predicated upon white supremacy, white nationalism, erasure of immigrants, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. It's really disappointing.</s>LEMON: This goes beyond, because this is being framed in a frame, discussed in a frame of, this is liberal versus conservative. This is not liberal versus conservative. This is an idea that everyone should be able to be whatever...</s>HILL: You can believe -- people have a right to believe what they want. And Kanye has a right to believe what he wants. We have a right to hold him accountable for it.</s>LEMON: Yes.</s>HILL: And because he's made so much money off vulnerable people, in the sense that he makes music for black people, and he makes music for brown people, he makes music that poor people love, to then defend the President, and to express love for a president whose policies operate against those interests, it's disappointing. Kanye has a right to do it. I just don't agree with it.</s>LEMON: You write, David, in the Washington Post, you say that Kanye fell for the worst black Republican sales pitch there is. Explain that.</s>DAVID SWERDLICK, ASSISTANT EDITOR, "WASHINGTON POST": So I started out talking about what I thought was the best black Republican sales pitch. Some one -- a couple of years ago, Niger Innis, who at the time was a spokesperson for the CORE organization, said to me, the Republican Party is not for people who are rich. It's for people who want to be rich. Now obviously leave aside that there are lots of rich black Democrats, and there are lots of working class Republicans. It's a good bumper sticker, right? That's a good way to pitch your party. But the pitch that Kanye West fell for, Don, was this idea that he's a free thinker, that black Republicans are free thinkers, and the over 90 percent of black people who vote for Democrats are not free thinkers. They're either sheep or worse slaves, which doesn't make sense. The issue legislative policy priorities of black people for the most part line up with the Democratic Party. And so most black people vote for Democrats, which is what all voters do. They look at the two parties, decide which one lines up most with their issue priorities, and they vote for them. It's that simple. And yet somehow, we've gotten to this place that's caught on a lot during the Tea Party era. It was starting to be sort of -- to fizzle out. But a woman names Candace Owens, who's the spokesperson for turning Point U.S.A., kind of revised this in the last few weeks, this idea that only black people are held to a standard where they can't just vote the issues that they personally prefer.</s>LEMON: Right. OK.</s>SWERDLICK: It's crazy.</s>LEMON: So, Paris, you know, I mentioned the former president. You previously, you know, had a big moment. You remember this when Kanye had this moment involving the former President George Bush. Watch this, and then we'll discuss.</s>KANYE WEST, AMERICAN RAPPER: I hate the way they portray us in the media. If you see a black family it says they're looting. If you see a white family it says they're looking for food. And you know it's been five days because most of the people are black. George Bush doesn't care about black people.</s>CHRIS TUCKER, AMERICAN ACTOR: Please, call.</s>LEMON: I'm still laughing because Chris tucker is like oh. Didn't you work for -- you worked for George Bush, right, Paris?</s>PARIS DENNARD, MEMBER, TRUMP ADVISORY BOARD: I probably worked for president...</s>LEMON: That was a big deal. Do you think Kanye believes that Donald Trump cares about black people?</s>DENNARD: I think that Kanye West does think that the President cares about black people. But I would go back, and say it was not only a big deal to people who knew and knows George Bush's heart. But President Bush years later when asked about one of things that really upset him, or things that he wish he could change, he said that moment was really something that really offended him. And all of the things -- imagine all the things that people said about him, the wars, and the economy, and all these things, it was that moment. Because when you utilize these -- throw these phrases out, and call people racist overtly, or covertly, it's offensive, especially when you know your heart, and know what you've tried to do. Nobody can talk about or question what this President had did for things like PEPFAR, and his commitment to reading, and the literacy, and HBC (ph), he was an author (ph), and the like, and so, it was offensive. But I will tell you this about Kanye West, I haven't liked Kanye West since he said that about President Bush, and I don't like his music now, but I will defend Kanye West -- his right to articulate his opinion on politics, especially if it related to Donald J. Trump, or the make America great again agenda, I think it's his right to do it. I'll defend Chance the Rapper's right to do it. I'll defend Shania Twain's right to do it. Because what happens in society these days, when you say anything that's very close to conservative Republican. Or in support of Donald Trump, you're automatically labeled a racist, or you're attitude about your community, or in this case, Kanye have been called crazy. It's absurd. You are...</s>LEMON: I think you are -- and as I have said, people are framing this, and that's a small part. Can we -- can we elevate this conversation because that's not what it's really about.</s>DENNARD: That is what it is really about.</s>LEMON: It's not what it's about.</s>DENNARD: It's about it fact that Kanye West comes out, and says something that is in support of this President. Chance the Rapper said something in support of this President, and all of a sudden, Kanye uses -- loses millions of Twitter followers. Why? Just because...</s>DENNARD: Do you support Republicans or this president...</s>HILL: I disagree with your framing of this. When you look at Twitter, and do a search, I mean, this provable stuff. Most people -- you're saying Donald Trump -- I mean, Kanye West has a right to say what he thinks about Donald Trump. I agree. I don't think there's a large movement of people saying Kanye West doesn't have the right to say this. This is about right-wing strong argument just to say that he doesn't have free speech. Of course he has free speech.</s>DENNARD: He shouldn't be demonized for it is what I was trying to say.</s>HILL: I think -- thank you for correcting yourself. I also don't think that he's not being demonized here...</s>DENNARD: I just clarify.</s>HILL: Same thing, (Inaudible). I think that he's -- I think that he is not being demonized as much...</s>DENNARD: He is being demonized.</s>HILL: How about this...</s>DENNARD: He is being demonized.</s>HILL: I understand you have a different opinion, but let me say mine. And don't cut me off, and I won't cut you off, because I didn't. I think -- I don't think he's being demonized as much as people are challenging him on his perspective. And I think we have a right to do that as well. I think we do have a right to unfollow people in the same way that you said you don't mess with Kanye anymore, you don't buy Kanye stuff anymore after what he said about George Bush, people have a right to not mess with Kanye anymore after what he said about Donald Trump. I think we both have a right to do that. And no, I don't think that it's a problem to do so, I think it's actually a part of a robust conversation. I don't know if this is a Democrat or Republican thing. And I think the conversation about -- I think the conversation about Kanye West, and mental health is a reasonable one. I hope Kanye is great. I don't think that his mental health is in question simply because he supported Donald Trump. If that were the case, there's 50 million people whose mental health should be in check.</s>LEMON: Yes.</s>DENNARD: And that little -- that little snippet right there is what I'm talking about. That snippet is what I'm talking about. It's important.</s>HILL: I think you missed my point.</s>LEMON: I think you missed the point.</s>HILL: Paris, just let me finish. I think you missed my point. What I am saying is...</s>DENNARD: No, I heard you.</s>HILL: OK, I know you heard me. Let America hear me now.</s>DENNARD: And they did, and they were offended.</s>LEMON: Let him...</s>DENNARD: Fifty million people who you just...</s>HILL: How about this -- let me get five seconds to speak, (Inaudible) I'm saying you're not crazy for voting for Donald Trump because if that were true, all the 50 million Americans who did were crazy. I'm saying they're not crazy. I'm saying the opposite. I'm saying they're not crazy. So, Paris, if you listened, we will reach conclusion. My point is, is that there are other indicators that makes me concerned about Kanye, the blurting out, the hospital, the fact that he was checked into a hospital a few years ago is under suspicion is a mental issue. I am saying I worry about Kanye, not because a voted or would have voter for, but because of other issues.</s>LEMON: David, quickly because I've got to get to the break.</s>SWERDLICK: Yes, two things. Look, first of all Kanye -- people are rallying around him. And I think part of what Paris is saying is that there's this defense of this idea that black people should be able to be conservative. Black people can be conservative. There are plenty of reasons for black people to be conservative and/or Republican. But one of them is not that everybody who's a Democrat is just simply, you know, following along like lemmings behind the Democratic Party. Number two...</s>LEMON: I got to go. I got to go.</s>SWERDLICK: Yes, OK. Yes.</s>LEMON: All right. All right.</s>HILL: Ad-libs like a rapper.</s>LEMON: We'll be right back.