Elections

#Kanye2020? #MichelleforPresident? Social media is already looking ahead to 2020.

Kanye West accepts the video vanguard award at the MTV Video Music Awards at the Microsoft Theater on Sunday, Aug. 30, 2015, in Los Angeles. West announced he was running for president in 2020 in his accepatance speech.
Kanye West accepts the video vanguard award at the MTV Video Music Awards at the Microsoft Theater on Sunday, Aug. 30, 2015, in Los Angeles. West announced he was running for president in 2020 in his accepatance speech. Matt Sayles/Invision/AP

As the sun rose Wednesday and the reality sunk in that Republican Donald Trump is now the President-elect, some Twitter, Facebook and Instagram users started casting about for a challenger to unseat Trump in 2020. Two of the most common picks are people who have never held elected office before, but as social media pointed out, if Trump can win, they could too: rapper Kanye West and first lady Michelle Obama.

West previously announced his “candidacy” in August 2015 at MTV’s Video Music Awards, and confirmed that he was supposedly serious about the bid in 2016 in an interview with BBC One. Beyond that, however, he hasn’t laid any groundwork for a run, though Trump also publicly flirted with a run in 2012.

Obama, on the other hand, has constantly been the subject of rumors that she might seek political office. She was a key surrogate for Hillary Clinton during her 2016 campaign, drawing praise for her speeches. Obama is a hugely popular figure with national recognition, but she has repeatedly said she has no desire to seek election, and her husband said prior to Tuesday’s election that she would “never run for office.”

Don’t tell the public that though. Early Wednesday morning, the hashtage #Kanye2020 and #Michelle2020 both began trending on Twitter. Below are just a smattering of some of the posts.

This story was originally published November 9, 2016 at 4:13 PM with the headline "#Kanye2020? #MichelleforPresident? Social media is already looking ahead to 2020.."

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