Rapper/actor Kid Cudi was unsure about portraying a supporter of controversial U.S. President Donald Trump on TV because he worried fans would mistake him for a real-life Republican.
However, he had concerns about one particular scene early on in the series, as his character, Richard Poythress, the strong-willed officer father of one of the protagonists, excitedly unwraps a package containing two red caps bearing Trump’s 2016 campaign slogan, Make America Great Again.
“I read the scripts and at first I was taken aback, because I have my beliefs,” Kid Cudi told Esquire magazine of the storyline. “I’m not a Trump supporter. I don’t know if the world knows that, but I was just really concerned about what people may think.”
“I talked to Luca and it all made sense to me at the end of the day,” he continued of understanding the importance of the father/daughter bonding scene. “Look, it’s a character I’m playing and I was fully invested in that, you know?
“At the end of the day, I hope that people can accept that for what it is, and not go and be like, ‘Oh, s**t, Cudi’s a Trump supporter now – he’s wearing a MAGA hat.'”
Kid Cudi also feared his longtime friendship with former mentor and frequent collaborator Kanye West would make viewers think he really was a fan of Trump, as Kim Kardashian’s outspoken husband hasn’t been shy in his praise for the real estate mogul-turned-world leader, who is known for making racist, xenophobic, and/or misogynistic remarks.
“I thought some people would be foolish about it and be like, ‘Oh, he must’ve talked to Kanye’ or ‘Kanye must’ve got to him’ or some s**t like that,” Cudi explained of their relationship. “I think he knows where I stand (politically), and I think he doesn’t bring it up to me. We just don’t talk about it. I totally disagree with it; I think he knows that. And if he doesn’t know, he knows now.”
However, just because they don’t see eye-to-eye on politics doesn’t mean the “Westworld” actor isn’t still close with Kanye, who is actually running for the White House himself this year.
“That’s my brother. I’ll go on record: That’s my brother. I love him,” Kid Cudi stated. “But that doesn’t mean I’m going to agree with everything he fking says and he fking does, you know?”