Kanye West is revisiting his controversial support of the "Make America Great Again" (MAGA) movement in a new documentary titled In Whose Name?. The documentary, directed by Nico Ballesteros, features over 3,000 hours of footage filmed over six years and delves into West's life and times from 2018 to 2024. A key focus is his infamous 2018 Saturday Night Live (SNL) appearance, where he donned a MAGA hat and delivered an unscripted pro-Trump speech.
In the documentary, West, now 48, addresses the intense backlash he faced for wearing the MAGA hat. He claims he felt "bullied" for expressing his political views and that he was "literally inside of current slavery," feeling pressured by his peers to conform and remain silent. He clarifies that his decision to wear the hat wasn't necessarily an endorsement of all of Donald Trump's policies. "When I wear the hat, it ain't about every one of this man's principles," West states in the film. He specifies that his support wasn't about detention centers, which he points out existed under multiple presidents, nor was it about whether a "72-year-old white man" cared about Black people.
Instead, West links his MAGA support to George Orwell's dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four. He explains that it was about "mind control" and "Big Brother," suggesting he saw the backlash against him as an example of societal pressure to conform to certain ideologies. He poses the question, "It's about if I use the word Hitler am I not cancelled? Do I lose my Adidas deal if I say the word Hitler out loud?" referencing his later antisemitic remarks and the consequences he faced.
West's 2018 SNL appearance was indeed a polarizing moment. Before his performance, he made a speech in support of President Trump. Chris Rock, who was in the audience, filmed West's speech and posted it on Instagram. In the speech, West, wearing the MAGA hat, called for more open political dialogue and even hinted at a 2020 presidential run. He said, "There's so many times I talked to a white person about this and they're like, 'How can you like Trump, he's racist?' Well, if I was concerned about racism I would have moved out of America a long time ago".
The documentary also shows a behind-the-scenes confrontation between West and SNL cast member Michael Che after the episode. SNL has been described as a "non-censoring show" where individuals are not stopped from doing anything, with the exception of profanity. Ego Nwodim, who was a new cast member at the time, recalled feeling conflicted about standing in solidarity with West during the goodnight portion of the show, opting to maintain a neutral facial expression.
West's embrace of the MAGA hat in 2018 sparked significant controversy. He frequently wore the hat and voiced his support for Trump on social media, even calling Trump "my brother". This led to backlash from fans and fellow celebrities, with some accusing him of promoting a divisive and harmful political agenda. Pusha T, whose album Daytona was produced by West, described the MAGA hat as "this generation's Ku Klux hood". Despite the criticism, West defended his right to express his views and stated that the hat represented his independence and refusal to be controlled. He once stated, "One of my favorite of many things about what the Trump hat represents to me is that people can't tell me what to do because I'm black".
West's political views have shifted over time. In late 2018, he claimed he was distancing himself from politics after realizing he had been "used to spread messages I don't believe in". However, he later reaffirmed his support for Trump. The documentary In Whose Name? provides further insight into West's mindset during this period and his complex relationship with the MAGA movement.
