The plaudit marks the president’s most recent stab at harnessing his newfound camaraderie with the rapper to trumpet the victories for minority communities Trump claims to have achieved during his presidency. | Evan Vucci/AP Photo Trump: Kanye West 'performed a great service to the Black Community' The president also thanked Chance the Rapper in a tweet.

Donald Trump praised Kanye West on Friday as having “performed a great service to the Black Community” by offering warm words for the president on Twitter.

The plaudit marks the president’s most recent stab at harnessing his newfound camaraderie with the rapper to trumpet the victories for minority communities Trump claims to have achieved during his presidency.


“Kanye West has performed a great service to the Black Community - Big things are happening and eyes are being opened for the first time in Decades - Legacy Stuff!” Trump wrote on Twitter.

The president also expressed gratitude to Chance the Rapper — a previous Trump critic and Chicago rapper who has worked to improve public schools for minority students in the city — as well as Darrell Scott, a Cleveland-area pastor and Republican commentator.

“Thank you also to Chance and Dr. Darrell Scott, they really get it (lowest Black & Hispanic unemployment in history).” Trump tweeted.

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On Wednesday, Chance the Rapper tweeted: “Black people don’t have to be democrats.” And early Friday morning, Scott tweeted: “Dems and Libs promote ones right to 'Identify' with or as their personal preference, as long as one does not 'identify' as a 'Trump supporter.'"

But following Trump's Friday tweet, Chance the Rapper pointedly disavowed Trump, tweeting "My fault yo," and writing in a longer statement that he would "never support anyone who has made a career out of hatred, racism and discrimination."

Chance the Rapper said his earlier tweet suggesting support for the president was meant to "help my friend," referring to West. "Unfortunately, my attempt to support Kanye is being used to discredit my brothers and sisters in the movement and I can't sit by and let that happen either."

West injected himself into the nation’s political conversation on Wednesday by writing online that “you don't have to agree with Trump but the mob can't make me not love him. We are both dragon energy. He is my brother.”

In a later post, he told his followers that his wife, reality TV star Kim Kardashian, “just called me and she wanted me to make this clear to everyone. I don't agree with everything Trump does. I don't agree 100% with anyone but myself.”

West, a Chicago native, wrote that “Obama was in office for eight years and nothing in Chicago changed.” He also shared a photo of Trump’s autograph on a “Make America Great Again” hat and another photo of him wearing what appeared to be the same hat.

Trump reciprocated the online affection, tweeting Wednesday: “Thank you Kanye, very cool!” He also remarked that the hip-hop mogul “has got good taste” in a freewheeling appearance on “Fox and Friends” Thursday morning.

“You know, I have known Kanye a little bit, and I get along with Kanye. I get along with a lot of people, frankly, but Kanye looks and he sees black unemployment at the lowest it's been in the history of our country, OK?” Trump said. “He sees that stuff and he's smart. And he says, you know what? Trump is doing a much better job than the Democrats did.”

