Student who told Kanye West to run for president during VMA speech says he'd only vote for rapper if he focuses on important issues

Proof that one person can make all the difference #YesWeKan

Chris Mandle
Tuesday 01 September 2015 12:01 BST
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Kanye West
Kanye West

The announcement that Kanye West would be running for president in 2020 at the Video Music Awards was one of the highlights of the evening, but a 19-year-old student has become thrust in the spotlight after posting a video showing him shout out the suggestion to Kanye from from the crowd.

Pablo Chacon, a second-year student at California State University, Long Beach, shared a video on Twitter of him standing at the very edge of the stage while West was delivering his speech, which he gave after accepting the MTV Video Vanguard Award for contributions to music and culture.

During a brief pause, Chacon shouts “Kanye for president!” and gets a laugh from the people around him.

Then, apparently hearing the remark, Kanye utters the (now-iconic) line: “And yes, as you probably could have guessed by now, I have decided in 2020 to run for president,” causing the crowd to erupt with cheers.

Speaking exclusively to The Independent, Chacon said it was "crazy and unbelievable" that West heard his suggestion and said it in front of the world.

"I remember when he announced his run for presidency right after I shouted it out, everyone around me looked at me in shock and started cheering," he added.

Chacon, who was attending the VMAs for the first time, said the reaction had been amazing, as his tweet got shared and he started hearing from people all over the world.

But he had to admit that he wouldn't vote for the rapper "unless he is 100% serious and really focuses on issues that are important.

"I think it's still too early [to make that] decision," he said.

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