Rapper Kanye West kick-started his presidential run with a campaign rally in South Carolina on Sunday evening, touching on topics from abortion to religion.

In the campaign rally, West delivered a long monologue talking about international trade, licensing deals, and others.

West believes abortion should be legal but there should be financial incentives for struggling mothers to discourage the practice. He set an example during the campaign rally saying that, at the maximum, "everybody that has a baby gets a million dollars".

ABC News reported that West broke into tears as he told the crowd about his father's desire to abort him before, and his wife, Kim Kardashian West, having their first child.

They meant to terminate the pregnancy with their first child, North, when a "message from God" changed his mind, said a report from USA Today. "I almost killed my daughter. I love my daughter. ... God wants us to create," he said.

He said that even if his wife asked for a divorce after his speech, she brought North into the world even when he didn't want to. He expressed admiration for his wife who protected their child.

With his proposal to give pregnant women money to support themselves, he believed women will consider aborting less. He believed the move will let people start to have children which he called "the greatest gift of life."

In the Campaign Rally

West made his appearance in a protective vest and with "2020" shaved into his head. A live stream event showed what appeared to be several hundred people gathered in the venue.

Rapper Kanye West holds his first rally in support of his presidential bid in North Charleston
Rapper Kanye West holds his first rally in support of his presidential bid in North Charleston, South Carolina, U.S. July 19, 2020. REUTERS/Randall Hill TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

Before West came in, gospel music was playing in the venue. All who went to the venue were asked to sign a COVID-19 liability release form, practice social distancing and wear a mask.

While there is no registration or RSVP information available on the campaign website, according to Los Angeles Times, the event is reportedly only for registered guests.

Getting on the Ballot

West is seeking to be on ballot in South Carolina as an independent presidential candidate.

He missed the deadline to qualify for the ballot in some states, making it unclear is he is willing to collect all the signatures he needs to qualify in others.

West needs to have 10,000 signatures by Monday noon for his name to appear in the South Carolina ballot, according to state law. West posted a tweet listing all locations in the Charleston area for petitions to be signed.

Last week, he met the deadline for filing in the Oklahoma presidential ballot. He paid the $35,000 registration fee to get on it.

To reach the 270 electoral votes needed to win the presidency, he will need more states on his side. As of now, there are only 306 electoral votes up for grabs in states that have not yet reached their filing deadlines.

Democratic operative Bre Maxwell told ABC News that West's presidential run may encourage people to vote for the first time. West is among those first-timers as he just registered to vote for the first time earlier this month.

West announced his candidacy on July 4 and, even now, there is still uncertainty if he will continue his run for the highest U.S. office.

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