Kanye West is still a “jackass,” according to President Obama.
The commander-in-chief spoke out about his rap star preferences in a brief interview with The Atlantic, telling the magazine he prefers Jay-Z to the hot-headed hip-hopper.
But Obama was quick to give a nod to West, whom he insulted after the singer ruined Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech by jumping on stage at the MTV Video Music Awards in 2009.
“Kanye’s a Chicago guy, he’s smart… He’s very talented.”
When journalist David Samuels reminded Obama he’d previously called Kanye a “jackass,” Obama said he still thought that way.
“He is a jackass, but he’s talented.”
West has a history of dustups with presidents. The hip hop star also received disapproval from then-President George Bush in 2005 in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, telling NBC’s “Today” show the president was “racist” and “didn’t care about black people.”
Bush later revealed in his memoir that West’s insult was one of the lowest points in his presidency.
Brilliance comes with a small dose of jackass. The thing is…. He recognized your talent. Romney has no idea who you are!