White House welcomes Kanye West's presidential bid

Kanye West at the MTV Video Music Awards, where he suggested he would run for president in 2020. Photo/AP

Kanye West for 2020? The White House says it is anticipating the rapper's potential bid for president.

West claimed he would run for president while accepting the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award at the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards.

White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said of the announcement that he looks "forward to seeing what slogan he chooses to embroider on his campaign hat".

Earnest was travelling aboard Air Force One with the president to Alaska.

"I have decided in 2020 to run for president," he announced to a shocked crowd.

West dropped the bombshell after admitting that he had smoked a "little something" before getting up on stage.

He then droppd the microphone and ran off stage.

The last word was left to MTV host Miley Cyrus: "Now we all know what happens to Kanye West when he smokes weed," Cyrus said.

The award was presented to West by Taylor Swift - who he famously interrupted on stage at the VMAs in 2009 - and he covered a variety of topics in his speech.

"I will die for the art, for what I believe in, and art ain't always going to be polite," he said.

"We gotta teach our kids that they can be something. That they can stand up for themselves. If my grandfather was here, he would not let me back down."

The Michael Jackson Vanguard Award is presented to artists who have made a profound effect on MTV culture, honouring their body of work over time.

This isn't the first time the outspoken Chicago rapper has dabbled in talk of politics.

West is noted for criticism of President George W Bush and the federal government's response after Hurricane Katrina.

He has also compared the world's fascination with his wife Kim Kardashian to that of the first lady.

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- AP with nzherald.co.nz