The philosopher and activist Cornel West launched a presidential bid Monday, saying he would be running as People’s Party candidate.
The announcement drew a mixed and heated reaction online.
Some are happy about it while others hate the idea and some are simply just confused by it all. The news that West would be running as a left-wing candidate in the 2024 presidential race sparked a slew of different reactions.
“This is huge news,” said one Twitter user. “I did not have Cornel West running for President on my bingo card.”
West made his announcement in a nearly three-minute video that he posted to his Twitter account, mentioning his determination to seek truth and justice if elected to serve in the Oval Office.
“I come from a tradition where I care about you,” West said in the clip. “I care about the quality of your life. I care about whether you have access to a job with a living wage. Decent housing. Women having control over their bodies. Health care for all. Deescalating the destruction of the planet. The destruction of American democracy.”
The video captured 7.6 million views, 27.1 thousand likes and was retweeted nearly 6,000 times. And like anything posted online, it gained hundreds of reactions from social media users.
“Black folks and white liberals getting ready to drag Cornel West,” one Twitter user said.
This isn’t West’s first time at the rodeo when it comes to put his foot in for personal political endeavors. In 2020, West was one of the biggest supporters of U.S. Senator Bernie Sander’s run for presidency, even making a case for Sanders at a Bernie 2020 GOTV rally in Detroit.
However, some critics took issue with West’s announcement over his decision to run under the People’s Party, and others called out some of his past actions, including his previous negative remarks about former President Barack Obama. The People’s Party is run by a former Sanders campaign staffer, and the party says it stands as a “a major new independent party that will guarantee health care, housing, quality education, and peace to all.”
Nevertheless, West’s more than two decades worth of racial and social justice activism and his commitment to the progression of education and academia in the U.S. has long been praised. West previously served as a professor of emeritus at Princeton University and as professor of public philosophy at Harvard University.
Here are some of the reactions to West’s announcement.