Chance the Rapper is sorry. After wading into the Kanye West–Trump debate on Twitter with the controversial stance that West can support whomever he wants, even Donald Trump, the president then proceeded to make Chances’s tweets all about him. On Friday, Trump tweeted his thanks for what he perceived to be Chance’s support of Trump’s politics (particularly, whatever it is he thinks he’s done for black people during his term). Chance’s response: Thanks but no thanks.
Chance then followed up his Trump rejection with a lengthy apology to fans explaining that his original tweets were meant to defend his good friend from what Chance felt was an attack — one Chance says he was brought into by people asking him to speak up — but that he was in no way ever defending Trump. “I’d never support anyone who has made a career out of hatred, racism, and discrimination,†he writes, noting Trump’s damaging language about Chicago. He also says he doesn’t agree with Kanye’s attitude toward Trump either; he merely wanted to stick up for a man he considers to be family. As for his comment that black people aren’t limited to the Democratic Party, he stands by that belief, but is also aware that he “said that shit at the wrongest time.†He claims that his apology will be felt in his future actions and that he plans to speak to Kanye in private.