Rap superstar Kanye West on Tuesday delivered a surprise even in this most unusual of political years - he met President-elect Donald Trump, marking the artist's first appearance since a reported mental breakdown.
Mr West, a rare US celebrity to voice support for Donald Trump, showed up in the early morning with an entourage and his own cameraman at Trump Tower and boarded the elevator of the tycoon's skyscraper home.
An uncharacteristically taciturn Mr West returned to the lobby with the president-elect himself who, pressed on what the two discussed, said: "Life."
"Just friends, just friends. He's a good man. Long time. Friends for a long time," said a visibly upbeat Mr Trump.
Mr West, sporting a fitted black sweatshirt, at first stood sullenly with his arms folded as reporters peppered him with questions - including on whether he would make good on his earlier promise to run for president in 2020, presumably challenging Mr Trump.
"I'm just here to take a picture right now," Mr West finally said before flashing a smile and a thumbs-up sign.
Notably absent was the rapper's wife, reality television star Kim Kardashian.
She has kept a low profile since gunmen broke into her Paris hotel room and robbed her of $10 million worth of jewelry - and gossip pages have recently speculated on the state of the couple's marriage.
Mr West last month stunned a California audience with a lengthy speech in which he said he did not vote but would have backed Trump as he appreciated the businessman's outspokenness.
Mr West was soon hospitalized after a series of erratic comments on stage, including alleging that his sometime collaborator Jay Z was sending hitmen to kill him and lashing out at Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg for not paying West $53 million to relieve his personal debt.
The celebrity news website TMZ said that Mr West's doctor feared he had suffered a mental breakdown and that Mr West flew to New York on Monday to see a psychiatrist.
Mr Trump, the former host of "Celebrity Apprentice," has been interviewing prospective members of his administration at Trump Tower, creating a media spectacle as candidates come to his door.
Few political observers would expect 'Yeezy' to land in the cabinet, even with Mr Trump's penchant for surprise picks.
One possible explanation for the meeting is that Mr Trump has been eager to tap A-list musicians for his inauguration after so many celebrities rejected him during the campaign.
The New York Post reported that Mr Trump will also meet the Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli, who is performing later Thursday at Madison Square Garden, and use their past ties to appeal for him to perform at the January 20 inauguration.
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