This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

Donald Trump took time out from bashing his attorney general Jeff Sessions and making the Roseanne Barr racism storm all about himself to meet Kim Kardashian West and discuss the justice system.

Traversing the whole gamut of notable Kims – the president is seeking to solve a nuclear crisis with a potential meeting with Kim Jong-un soon – Trump met the fellow reality TV star in the White House on Wednesday, where she is reported to have asked for Alice Marie Johnson to be pardoned. Johnson is a 63-year-old grandmother who is serving a life sentence for a first-time non-violent drug offence.

Following the meeting, Trump tweeted a picture of the pair inside the Oval Office. He captioned it: “Great meeting with @KimKardashian today, talked about prison reform and sentencing.”

It is unknown exactly what was discussed during the meeting but afterwards Kardashian West tweeted her thanks to the president and said she hoped Johnson would be freed.

She wrote: “I would like to thank President Trump for his time this afternoon. It is our hope that the President will grant clemency to Ms. Alice Marie Johnson who is serving a life sentence for a first-time, non-violent drug offense.”

She added: “We are optimistic about Ms. Johnson’s future and hopeful that she – and so many like her-will get a second chance at life.”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Kim Kardashian arrives for meetings at the White House. Photograph: Joshua Roberts/Reuters

Vanity Fair magazine first reported Kardashian West was due to speak to Trump and his son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner.

Kardashian West is thought to have been involved in private discussions with Kushner and Ivanka Trump for several months.

Johnson is serving a life sentence without parole after being convicted of drug-related charges in 1997.

An online petition to grant clemency to Johnson, started by her daughter, currently has more than 250,000 signatures.

Kardashian West’s husband, Kanye West, has drawn criticism for his support of the president, and was pictured wearing a cap bearing the slogan, ‘Make America Great Again’, a phrase associated with Trump.

Earlier this month, Trump pardoned the heavyweight boxer Jack Johnson, who was convicted in 1913 of violating the Mann Act for transporting a woman across state lines for “immoral purposes”.