After House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan announced that he will not run for re-election this year, the playing field is now wide open. When the topic was brought up to Senator Marco Rubio, he made a bold statement: anybody can become the speaker of the house, including Kanye West.

Paul Ryan has confirmed that he will not seek re-election, dealing a tough blow to Republicans as the midterm elections loom. According to Reuters, he will retire from his post in 2019. TMZ caught up with Rubio on Capitol Hill on Thursday and he was asked about the highest position in the United States House of Representatives. He explained that anyone can seek election for the post and you “don’t even have to be a member of the House” to get a shot at it.

The cameraman went on to ask, “So any Joe random, Kanye West?” to which Rubio responded, “Maybe.” However, Rubio added that there are other qualifications that the candidate needs to comply with like citizenship and age. Via analogy, he opined that it’s unlikely someone outside Congress would be elected the next House Speaker based on the line of succession throughout the years.

West previously expressed interest in a public position, although not Speaker of the House. Back in 2015, the hip-hop superstar told Vanity Fair that he was “definitely” thinking about running for president in 2020. He first announced his intention at the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards and reaffirmed with the magazine that he was not joking.

Featured image credit: Win McNamee Getty Images

Reflecting on his planned candidacy, West said that he has “a lot of research to do” and “a lot of growing up to do” before he runs for office. However, the 40-year-old father of three also said that he hates politics and doesn’t find himself to be a politician at all.

“I hate politics. I’m not a politician at all. I care about the truth and I just care about human beings. I just want everyone to win, that’s all I can say, and I think we can.”

Meanwhile, Paul Ryan’s announcement is expected to build tension within the Republican Party as to who is going to be their bet for House Speaker instead of focusing on keeping their majority stake in the House. While Ryan’s decision shocked many, he told reporters that his decision was not at all influenced by his sometimes unstable relationship with President Trump.