From makeup to eye-wateringly expensive trainers, Kim Kardashian-West and her husband Kanye are well versed in the art of selling their followers things they don’t really need.

But the queen of Insta-capitalism has taken a break from honking appetite suppressant lollipops to teens to join her husband as he destroys his musical legacy one photo-op at a time. Fresh from insisting that President Donald Trump will make America “whole again” and embracing the orange overlord himself during a bizarre Oval Office meeting, the famous pair have embarked on their toughest sell yet.

In the latest instalment of Keeping up With the Kardashian-Wests, moral bankruptcy sees Kim and Kanye Take Democracy. If humanising a man who unashamedly locked children in cages wasn’t enough, West and Kardashian have now staged a highly publicised meeting with president Yoweri Museveni of Uganda.

The “fruitful” meeting, which was allegedly to promote Uganda’s tourism and arts industries, saw Kimye gift the president with a pair of Yeezy trainers and pose for photographs.

Museveni has ruled Uganda since in 1986 and has overseen human rights atrocities that include jailing and torturing people suspected of being gay. In 2009 his party attempted to reintroduce the death penalty for those convicted of homosexuality, though thankfully the country’s court struck down the law. Instead, under Museveni, homosexuality carries a penalty of life imprisonment.

Amnesty International has accused his party of facilitating “gross human rights violations”, including forcibly clearing approximately 100,000 people from their homes in and committing hundreds of executions in the process.

'Imma let you finish' - Kanye West's most controversial quotes Show all 10 1 /10 'Imma let you finish' - Kanye West's most controversial quotes 'Imma let you finish' - Kanye West's most controversial quotes "I was the best new artist this year" Kanye asserted this after losing the New Artist of the Year award at the 2004 American Music Awards Getty Images 'Imma let you finish' - Kanye West's most controversial quotes “I am the number one human being in music. That means any person that's living or breathing is number two.” Kanye made this claim while appearing on the Wendy Williams show in 2007. He had recently released the album 'Graduation' to critical acclaim Getty Images 'Imma let you finish' - Kanye West's most controversial quotes “Yo Taylor, I'm really happy for you, I'mma let you finish, but Beyoncé has one of the best videos of all time. One of the best videos of all time!” In arguably the most famous incident of his career, Kanye bravely stole the microphone from then 19 year old Taylor Swift during her acceptance speech for the Female Music Video of the Year at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards REUTERS 'Imma let you finish' - Kanye West's most controversial quotes "I walk through the hotel and I walk down the street and people look at me... like I'm Hitler" Kanye said this during a mid-set rant while on stage at the Big Chill festival in 2011. Despite releasing the acclaimed 'My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy' in 2010, he was still widely disliked following the Taylor Swift incident PA Archive/PA Images 'Imma let you finish' - Kanye West's most controversial quotes "I am Picasso. I am Michelangelo. I am Basquiat. I am Walt Disney. I am Steve Jobs" Kanye compared himself to these visionaries in a mid-set rant on stage in Paris, 2013 AFP/Getty Images 'Imma let you finish' - Kanye West's most controversial quotes “My greatest pain in life is that I will never be able to see myself perform live.” In 2013, Kanye opened up to reveal more Kanye. His pain is understandable, considering such performances as his at the BRITs in 2015, where he came on stage with an entourage of flamethrower wielding grime artists (pictured) Getty Images 'Imma let you finish' - Kanye West's most controversial quotes “I have to dress Kim everyday so she doesn’t embarrass me.” Kanye tweeted this in 2014, around the time that he was designing the first Yeezy range AFP/Getty Images 'Imma let you finish' - Kanye West's most controversial quotes “By 50 percent [I am more influential than] Stanley Kubrick, Apostle Paul, Picasso… f***ing Picasso and Escobar. By 50 per cent more influential than any other human being.” Kanye made this claim backstage after appearing on Saturday Night Live in 2016, he did not show his working out Getty Images for Yeezy Season 3 'Imma let you finish' - Kanye West's most controversial quotes "My wife 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." This quote followed Kanye's recent expression of love for Donald Trump on Twitter, in which he claimed that he and Trump were "dragon energy" Getty Images 'Imma let you finish' - Kanye West's most controversial quotes "When you hear about slavery for 400 years... for 400 years? That sounds like a choice." Kanye made this comment in a May 2018 interview with TMZ. He later clarified that, in saying slavery was a choice, he meant "we can make our own reality" PA Wire/PA Images

Bobi Wine, Uganda’s most prominent opposition leader, said it was “immoral” for West to use his image “just to rub shoulders with the president”. It’s hard to disagree with this assessment. Though, as a gay man, I find it even more disappointing that Kardashian – who professes to be an advocate for the LGBT+ community and recently claimed that “all her best friends are gay” – would participate in such a meeting. You can’t be an LGBT+ ally while snuggling up to people who imprison gay men – it is depressing that this even needs to be said.

From Emma Watson to Angelina Jolie and Beyoncé, the worlds of celebrity and politics are often intertwined. The relationship between famous people and specific politicians or political causes is normally mutually beneficial. Good PR is exchanged on both sides, while the world is, in theory, made a slightly better place through increased funds or awareness.

But what could West or Kardashian have to gain from associating with powerful men known for maintaining power through actively promoting discrimination? After all, both are already wealthy beyond belief, and there’s little positive PR to be gained.

In the era of reality TV and social media stardom, celebrities – even those as legitimately famous and accomplished as Kimye – are still desperate for “serious” validation. Both Kim and Kanye have doggedly pursued this within the fashion industry. Where both once sold cheaper clothes to the masses, their brands have become gradually less accessible as they joined the fashion elite. Kimye finally gained the approval of industry gatekeepers such as Anna Wintour and Karl Lagerfeld – two people with problematic legacies of their own.

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But clearly this isn’t enough for them. Rightly or wrongly, politics is the final arena many celebrities attempt to master in their quest for legitimacy. To celebrities accused of being vapid or “famous for no reason”, it is the Leviathan, the grand conqueror and bastion of constructed “seriousness”. How else do we explain the fact that a reality TV star, once relentlessly mocked for his views, now sits in the White House?

With their reputation depleting with each ill-conceived photo op, it seems that not even Kim and Kanye can make authoritarianism cool or edgy. “Brand partnerships” with figures like this aren’t just toxic, but carry potentially dangerous consequences for those they actively discriminate against.