
Kanye West announced he was running for president in 2020 during the MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday.

The bold declaration came at the end of an epic acceptance speech for a lifetime achievement award.

Taylor Swift honored the star with a gushing introduction that was a nod to their first encounter, in which the 38-year-old famously rushed the stage when Taylor Swift accepted an award back in 2009, claiming that his friend Beyonce was a more worthy recipient.

To wrap up his speech on Sunday, Kanye simply said: 'As you probably could’ve guessed by this moment, I have decided, in 2020, to run for president.'

He had, however, announced earlier in the epic speech that he had smoked a joint before heading up on stage.

‘Y'all might be thinking right now, “I wonder did he smoke something before he came out here?” And the answer is yes, I rolled up a little something, I knocked the edge off,’ he said.

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Kanye West for President? The performer claimed he is going to run for the top job in 2020 during a long acceptance speech at the MTV VMAs on Sunday

Special moment: Kanye and wife Kim Kardashian shared a kiss before he accepted his award

Friends: After presenting Kanye with his award Taylor Swift stood next to Kim Kardashian in the audience

Kim and Kanye walking the red carpet prior to Sunday's show

Kanye West, Kim Kardashian, Kourtney Kardashian, Kris Jenner and Kylie Jenner attended the show together

He added: ‘I don't know what's gonna happen tonight what's gonna happen tomorrow bro but all I can say to my artists is just worry about how you feel at the time.’

Kanye’s lengthy monologue jumped swiftly from topic to topic, from Justin Timberlake’s FutureSex/LoveSounds and award shows to discussing fresh juice at the market and the future of millennials.

Kanye's announcement that he would run for president comes almost ten years to the day that he attacked President George Bush on national television during a live segment.

On September 2, 2005, Kanye and Mike Meyers appeared at a telethon benefit for the victims of Hurricane Katrina, and almost immediately Kanye appeared to go off script.

'I hate the way they portray us in the media,' said Kanye.

Kanye West and Kim Kardashian share a laugh during the show on Sunday night

The couple pose for the camera while their friends Chrissy Teigen and John Legend can be seen laughing behind them

Kanye looks as if he is in disbelief as he stands on the stage accepting his award

Taylor Swift towered over the rapper as she presented him with the award to mark the many achievements in his career

Kanye and John Legend greet one another after arriving at the ceremony on Sunday

Kanye West, Big Sean, and John Legend also accepted the award for video with a social message

'If you see a black family, it says, "They're looting.” You see a white family, it says, "They're looking for food." And you know that it's been five days because most of the people are black.'

Meyers took over soon after that, but when he went to take a breath at one point, Kanye said; 'George Bush doesn’t care about black people.'

He then walked off stage.

President Bush later called the comment 'one of the most disgusting moments' of his presidency, while many others came to agree with what Kanye said, especially when little was done in New Orleans in the weeks, months and even years following Katrina.

In a 2010 interview with Today, West said; "I would tell George Bush in my moment of frustration, I didn't have the grounds to call him a racist. I believe that in a situation of high emotion like that we as human beings don't always choose the right words.'

Kanye came under fire again in 2013 for comments he made about President Obama and Jewish people.

Chrissy Teigen and Kim Kardashian used their phones to snap photos as their husbands picked up their award

Kanye West and Taylor Swift embrace after she presented him with the Video Vanguard Award

Kanye and Kim during the show, where at one point he laid down on her and pretended to take a nap

Friends: Kanye West and Nicki Minaj share a moment at Sunday's show

Feeling it: Kanye was also spotted busting out some moves as he danced solo while his wife appeared to chat with Chrissy Teigen

When asked how he felt President Obama was doing in office during a radio interview he said; 'Man, let me tell you something about George Bush and oil money and Obama and no money. People want to say Obama can't make these moves or he's not executing.

'That's because he ain't got those connections. Black people don't have the same level of connections as Jewish people...We ain't Jewish. We don't got family that got money like that.'

That comment was criticized by the Anti-Defamation League, who said; 'There it goes again, the age-old canard that Jews are all-powerful and control the levers of power in government.'

And while he was acknowledged with the Video Vanguard Award at this year's Video Music Awards, his previous antics at the star-studded ceremony certainly loomed large in everyone's minds.

The prize has previously been won by acts including Michael and Janet Jackson, Britney Spears, U2 and George Michael, with it last being presented to Beyonce in 2014.

The All Day rapper is familiar with the award, having given it to his friend and long-time collaborator Hype Williams in 2006 for his achievements as a 'film maker'.

Anniversary: Almost 10 years ago top the day, Kanye said while appearing at a Hurricane Katrina benefit; 'George Bush doesn’t care about black people'

Awkward: The two have healed the row which came to a head when Kanye infamously interrupted her acceptance speech for Best Female Video at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards (pictured) to insist Beyonce should have won the accolade

The normally stoic Kanye was seen laughing throughout most of the the show on Sunday

Kim showed off her pregnancy curves in a major way in a gown designed by Balmain

Kanye was seen smiling as Taylor Swift took the stage to present him with his award

Kanye posted backstage with his mooonman, which this year was designed by Jeremy Scott

Kanye, father to two-year-old daughter North, has been making music videos since 2003 beginning with his first single, Through The Wire.

Since then he has worked on several iconic music videos including 2004's All Falls Down, 2005's Gold Digger featuring Jamie Foxx, 2007 Daft Punk collaboration Stronger, 2011's All Of The Lights featuring Rihanna and the infamous 2013 Bound 2 video starring his wife Kim Kardashian.

Kanye last performed at the VMAs in 2013 when he played single Blood on the Leaves.

Regardless of how much history Kanye has made at the award show, his best known appearance was when he interrupted Taylor at the event six years ago while she accepted the Best Female Video Award to insist Beyonce should have won the accolade.

Rushing the stage, Kanye took the microphone from the blonde singer and infamously said: 'Yo Taylor, I’m really happy for you, Imma let you finish but Beyonce had one of the best videos of all time…one of the best videos of all time!'

The rapper was then subsequently booed off the stage by the audience in attendance.

Kanye and the 25-year-old singer have since put their differences aside and were even pictured together at the Grammy Awards back in February.

The Kardashian sisters applauded as Kanye took the stage to receive his award

Kanye and Taylor Swift embraced on stage after she finished her introduction exclaiming how talented the rapper is

Kim's outfit was as always one of the most talked about of the evening

A newly single Kourtney Kardashian hugged her brother-in-law during a rare night out for the mother of three

Taylor looked shocked a few times during Kanye's speech, including when he swore and announced he might run for president

Joker: But just before hitting the stage, Kanye showed his lighter side as he was spotted by fans pretending to nap on Kim's arm during Taylor's speech, introducing his Vanguard Award

But just before hitting the stage at the VMAs on Sunday, Kanye showed his lighter side as he was spotted by fans pretending to nap on Kim's arm during Taylor's speech, introducing his Vanguard Award.

Kanye spoke about that moment in his speech, and how being a father has changed his behavior.

'First of all, thank you Taylor for being so gracious and giving me this award this evening, thank you. And I often think back to the first day I met you also,' said Kanye.

'I think about when I'm in the grocery store with my daughter and I have a really great conversation about fresh juice, and at the end they say oh you're not that bad after all.

'It crosses my mind a little bit when I go to a baseball game and 60,000 people boo me, it crosses my mind a little bit. And I think If I had to do it all again what would I have done?

'Would I have worn a leather shirt? Would I have drank a half a bottle of hennessey and given the rest to the audience? Yall know yall drank that bottle too.

Kanye was placed in the Republican debate from the night he interrupted Taylor Swift's VMA acceptance speech

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West have voiced their support for Hillary Clinton in the upcoming election

Another meme saw Trump wearing a version of Trump's Make America great baseball cap

Almost immediately after Kanye's announcement about running for president, the Internet began to fill up with memes

Kim Kardashian shared a photo of her and Kanye with President Obama earlier this year

Another meme takes a look at what a Kanye West presidency could look like in 2020

Kanye West is pictured on Mt. Rushmore, taking the place of George Washington

'If I had a daughter at that stage would I have went on stage and grabbed the mic from someone else’s.

'You know, this arena tomorrow, its going to be a completely different set up, some concert, something like that. That stage was gone, but the effect had on people remained.'

The Style hitmaker recently revealed to Vanity Fair that it was Kanye's 'Big Brother' Jay-Z who insisted that the two superstars start afresh.

Speaking about the situation in the new issue of Vanity Fair magazine, she said: 'I feel like I wasn't ready to be friends with (Kanye) until I felt like he had some sort of respect for me, and he wasn't ready to be friends with me until he had some sort of respect for me - so it was the same issue, and we both reached the same place at the same time.

'I became friends with Jay Z, and I think it was important, for Jay Z, for Kanye and I to get along ... And then Kanye and I both reached a place where he would say really nice things about my music and what I've accomplished, and I could ask him how his kid's doing.'

Kanye also took some time to talk about awards in his speech on Sunday, saying; 'I still don’t understand awards shows. I don’t understand how they get five people who worked their entire life, one sold records, sold concert tickets, to stand on a carpet, and for the first time in their life to be judged on a chopping block, and have the opportunity to be considered a loser!'

He then went on to point out how upset he was to see Justin Timberlake and CeeLo lose Grammy Awards over the course of their careers.

Kanye on the other hand has won 21 Grammy Awards.

KANYE WEST'S VIDEO VANGUARD ACCEPTANCE SPEECH AT THE 2015 MTV VIDEO MUSIC AWARDS 'Bro, bro, listen to the kids. Jeremy, I gotta put it down for a second. First of all, thank you, Taylor, for being so gracious and giving me this award this evening. Thank you. And I often think back to the first day I met you also. 'I think about when I'm in the grocery store with my daughter and I have a really great conversation about fresh juice at the... you know. And at the end they say, "Oh you're not that bad after all”. And like, I think about it sometimes it crosses my mind a little bit when I go to a baseball game and 60,000 people boo me. It crosses my mind a little bit. 'And I think if i had to do it all again - what would I have done? Would I have worn a leather shirt? Would I have drank half a bottle of Hennessy and given the rest of it to the audience? Y'all know you drank that bottle, too. 'If I had a daughter at that time would I have went on stage and grabbed the mic from someone else's? You know, this arena tomorrow is gonna be a completely different set up... some concert... This stage will be gone. After that night, the stage was gone but the effect that it had on people remained. 'The problem was the contradiction. The contradiction is that I do fight for artists but in that fight, somehow, was disrespectful to artists. I didn't know how to say the right thing, the perfect thing, I sat at the Grammys and saw Justin Timberlake and CeeLo Green lose. 'Gnarls Barkley and the 'FutureSex/LoveSound' album, and bro, Justin I'm not trying to put you on blast but I saw that man in tears, bro. And I was thinking he deserved to win album of the year. And the small box that we are of entertainers of the evening, how could you explain that? 'Sometimes I feel like you know all this shit they run about beef and all that, sometimes I feel like I died for the artist's opinion, for the artist to have an opinion after they got successful. 'I'm not no politician bro, and look at that. You know how many times MTV ran that footage again? Because it got more ratings? Do you know how many times they announced Taylor was gonna give me this award? Because it got more ratings? 'Listen to the kids, bro. 'I still don't understand award shows. I don't understand how they get five people who work their entire life one sell records, sell concert tickets to come stand on a carpet and for the first time in they life be judged on a chopping block and have the opportunity to be considered a loser. 'I don't understand it bro. I do not understand when the biggest album or the biggest video I don't understand. I've been conflicted bro. I just wanted people to like me more. But f*** that, bro. 2015. I will die for the art for what I believe in and the art ain't always gonna be polite. 'Y'all might be thinking right now, "I wonder did he smoke something before he came out here?" And the answer is yes, I rolled up a little something, I knocked the edge off. I don't know what's gonna happen tonight what's gonna happen tomorrow bro but all I can say to my artists is just worry about how you feel at the time. 'I'm confident. I believe in myself. We the millennials bro. This is a new mentality. We're not gonna control our kids with brands. We're not gonna teach low self esteem and hate to our kids. We're gonna teach our kids that they can be something. that they can stand up for themselves. To believe in themselves and if my grandfather was here right now, he would not let me back down. 'I don't know what I'm fitting to lose after this it don't matter though because it ain't about me, it's about new ideas bro people with ideas people who believe in truth. and yes, as you probably could've guessed by this moment I have decided in 2020 to run for president.' Advertisement