Kanye West-wing: The Donald embraces his troubled 'friend' at Trump Tower and escorts him out after meeting as Ivanka looks on - but did the rapper offer to perform at his inauguration?

  • Rapper, 39, requested meeting with president-elect - and had a 15-minute sit-down after arriving at Trump Tower 
  • West swept in to gilded lobby and was taken upstairs with an entourage which included Corey Gamble, 35, his mother-in-law's boyfriend 
  • After the meeting Trump came downstairs to see him out of the building - something he had only previously done with a Japanese bank executive; his daughter Ivanka went with him
  • Trump called West his 'friend' and told the rapper - who was hospitalized with a nervous breakdown until last week - 'you take care of yourself'  
  • Last month West called Trump a 'genius' at a concert in California - and was booed by an apparently Clinton-loving crowd 
  • West also said he would have voted for Trump if he had voted at all 

Kanye West dramatically met President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday - and was embraced by the next leader of the free world.

West swept in for a 15-minute meeting, headed upstairs - and then Trump descended to the lobby of Trump Tower to say goodbye to West.

It is an honor he has extended to just one other visitor, and to none of the people he interviewed about top-level posts in his administration.

'We’re just friends, just friends. He’s a good man. Going well. Long time – We’ve been friends for a long time,' Trump said. 'Life, we discussed life.'

Kanye - who until last week was in hospital in Los Angeles recovering from a reported nervous breakdown - did not respond to questions about whether he would run in 2020 and said: 'I just want you to take my picture right now.'

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Friends: Donald Trump embraced Kanye West after a 15-minute meeting at Trump Tower which the rapper had requested

Embrace: The political gesture of inviting Kanye West to Trump Tower and being seen with him will boost Trump

'Good man': Trump praised rapper Kanye West after their meeting in Trump Tower and wished the 39-year-old well

Final parting: The two shook hands then embraced as West left after his 15-minute meeting

Trump power: Donald Trump escorted Kanye West to the lobby of Trump Tower after their 15-minute meeting, with daughter Ivanka also present

Happy mood: Trump laughed as he posed with a largely unsmiling Kanye West after their Trump Tower meeting, while daughter Ivanka watched at his right

'Take my picture': Kanye West declined to answer questions and said he just wanted his picture taken

I'm with him: Kanye West had said that although he did not vote, Trump was a 'genius' for winning the election

Clique: Several reporters asked Kanye if he would run for president in 2020, but he didn't respond. Last year, Trump said he hoped one day he could run against Kanye

As Kanye left Trump said: 'Man, you take care of yourself, I'll see you soon.'

It was a reference to the rapper's hospitalization due to a nervous breakdown. 

Trump had also brought his daughter Ivanka down to see off West and she was to the side as they embraced. 

The rapper had swept into Trump Tower with an entourage which included his mother-in-law's 35-year-old boyfriend shortly after 9am for the meeting with the man he recently called a 'genius'.

TMZ reported that the meeting was at Kanye's request and that Trump had agreed to it.

The 39-year-old, who until last week had been recovering from a nervous breakdown in hospital in Los Angeles having been hopsitalized on 21 November, was taken upstairs without speaking to reporters.

Trump's transition team is currently looking for performers at the inauguration on January 20, and the addition of one of rap's biggest names would clearly be a huge coup.

Trump's inaugural committee is hoping to attract some star power to the presidential inauguration in January, but efforts are reportedly coming up short.

A Hollywood source told TheWrap that the inaugural committee was talking to Kid Rock, Ted Nugent, Lee Greenwood and possibly Garth Brooks, who told TMZ that he's open to the idea of performing. 

Looking for all my real friends: Kanye West and the president-elect shared an elevator to Trump Tower's main lobby before they spoke to the press together

Departure: Donald Trump came to the lobby of Trump Tower with his guest Kanye West - only the second time he had descended to say farewell

The clock's ticking: Trump is still struggling to find performers for his inauguration in January

As I recall, I know you love to show off: Kanye dressed down for his short meeting with Trump, wearing a black crew-neck sweatshirt, black pants and white sneakers

She's with them: Ivanka Trump came downstairs too as the rapper left with her father, President-elect Donald Trump

Friends: Trump said he and Kanye had been long-term friends and were talking about 'life'

Holding on to what I believe in: The details of Trump and Kanye's meeting are still unknown, though the President-elect said they discussed 'life'

I ain't got no issues, I'm just doing my thing: During the presidential campaign Kanye was seen smiling for a selfie with Hillary Clinton. Months later he revealed that he would have voted for Trump

Handshake: West and Trump exchanged a handshake and hug as the rapper left the building

Presidential gesture: Donald Trump and Kanye West embraced after the president-elect escorted the rapper to the lobby of Trump Tower

rump and Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son spoke with reporters to announce a deal that will bring 50,000 jobs to the US as part of a $50billion investment. He is the only Trump Tower visitor who the president-elect has spoken to reporters with

But the same source said the Trump team really wanted more popular acts – 'artists like Justin Timberlake and Bruno Mars' – whose politics might not exactly align with those of the president-elect.

In order to attract top tier talent, sources told TheWrap that members of the Presidential Inaugural Committee have been offering up cold hard cash, with a 'name your price' mentality.  

Two sources told the publication that members of the Trump inaugural committee contacted them and offered cash, or even a government appointment, to get talent to come to the late January affair.

An inaugural committee spokesman denied it all. 

West spoke in support of the president-elect last month at a concert, in the wake of Trump's victory of Hillary Clinton to back the Republican.

'If I would've voted, I would've voted Trump,' he told a crowd during the concert in San Jose, California. 

He also told the crowd that Trump was a 'genius' for winning.

He then added: 'Specifically to black people, stop focusing on racism. This world is racist, ok? Let's stop being distracted. It's just a f***ing fact, we are in a racist country, period.'

The endorsement of the president-elect reportedly earned him boos. California voted heavily for defeated Hillary Clinton.  

Yeezus! Kanye West and his entourage enter the lobby of Trump Tower

Walk of fame: The lobby of Trump Tower has become the place to see who is who in the new Trump administration

On his way to the top: Kanye West was seen walking through the swing doors at Trump Tower on his way to the elevator

Yeezy does it: Kanye was accompanied by among others Corey Gamble (behind Kanye), his mother-in-law Kris Jenner's 35-year-old boyfriend

Entourage: Kanye West was accompanied by at least five people as he breezed past security and into the bank of elevators

He's here: West arrive just after 9am at Trump Tower, where the president-elect was scheduled to hold a series of meetings

Through the doors: Kanye gets ready to go through the gilded doors of Trump Tower on Manhattan's prestigious 5th Avenue

Heavy security: Trump Tower has been turned into a mini-fortress with traffic blocked from outside and armed police on constant guard

Among his entourage were Kris Jenner's boyfriend, Corey Gamble, 35, who had been accompanying West during his trip to New York.

The visit to Trump Tower on New York's 5th Avenue came after West was seen in the city - his first public appearances since being released from hospital after the breakdown.

It had been reported that he was in New York to recruit a psychiatrist in the wake of his breakdown, but the meeting at Trump Tower suggests that at the very least he has partially recovered.

A meeting with Trump may not be the ideal balm for what is said to be a troubled patch in his marriage to Kim Kardashian; she was a prominent endorser of Clinton who made clear in September that she was voting for the Democrat.

For Trump the gesture is a significant political move in reaching out to African-Americans and to millennials.

And honoring West by taking him to the lobby is an extremely rare move.

The only other person he escorted downstairs was a Japanese bank executive Masayoshi Son who he had met to discuss creating 50,000 new jobs in manufacturing in the United States.

The star arrival and departure put the rest of the arrivals at Trump Tower in the shade - including Mike Pence, the vice-president elect, and Gary Cohn, the Goldman Sachs chief operating officer who will be his principal economic advisor.

Didn't meet: Vice-president elect Mike Pence arrived shortly after the rapper's departure; the two did not meet

Also in transition: Gary Cohn, who will be director of the National Economic Council was among other arrivals at Trump Tower

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