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Singer Nicki Minaj greets President Donald Trump during a campaign rally at McMorran Place Sports & Entertainment Center on October 25, 2026 in Port Huron, Michigan. Alex Wong/Getty Images Eons ago, in the last, heady pre-pandemic moments of February 2020, Nicki Minaj appeared at the Pollstar Live 2020 where she spoke widely about her life, career choices, social media posts, and more. Unsurprisingly, because this was the start of what would be one of the most deranged election years in American history, politics came up. At the time, Minaj stated plainly, “I’m not gonna jump on the Donald Trump bandwagon.”
Smash-cut to fall 2026 and Minaj has not only jumped on the bandwagon, but fully embraced her new role as a MAGA mouthpiece. Over the past several months, she’s appeared at various White House events and even recently joined Trump as he hit the campaign trail in an effort to bolster Republican efforts in the upcoming midterm elections.
Whatever the reasons for Minaj’s rightward lurch — whether they be ideological, self-serving, or some messy mixture of the two — what’s undeniable is the rapper and president are, in a lot of ways, made for each other. Both are outer borough New Yorkers, raised in Queens, with ambitions as big as the chips on their shoulders. They’re also both terminally online, inveterate posters, who seem to feel more comfortable on the bully pulpit than anywhere else. They’re a match made in heaven — or hell, depending on how you look at it — and here’s the surreal timeline of their relationship that shows it.
November 2015: Trump Points
The first inkling of Minaj going MAGA happens in 2015, when she says there are points Trump made that “may not have been so horrible if his approach wasn’t so childish.” She doesn’t go into detail about which talking points fall under this umbrella of decent ideas and poor delivery. Instead, Minaj pivots to an assessment of his performance as an entertainer. “I think he’s hilarious,” she said. “I wish they could just film him running for president. That’s the ultimate reality show.”
February 2020: No Bandwagon for Nicki
Minaj claims she’s “not gonna jump on the Donald Trump bandwagon.” In an interview with Irving Azoff, Minaj talks at length about several subjects, including criticizing Donald Trump’s child separation policies at the border.
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“I’m not gonna jump on the Donald Trump bandwagon,” Minaj said. “I don’t like that. I get that a lot of people don’t like him for obvious reasons. But, what stuck with me was the children being taken away from their parents when they came into this country. That really bothered me because I was one of those immigrant children coming to America to flee poverty. And I couldn’t imagine a little child going through all of that, trying to get to another country because they didn’t have money in their country, or whether you’re fleeing from war … and then being taken away from the one person that makes you feel comfort. That is what really raised my eyebrows. That is what made me go, ‘Something about this doesn’t sit right in my spirit.’ But! On Celebrity Apprentice, I think he was funny as hell.”
September 2021: Kenneth Petty Rumors
Minaj’s husband, Kenneth Petty, pleads guilty to failing to register as a sex offender while moving from New York to California, a federal offense for which he is ordered to serve house arrest and three years probation — unless, at some point, he gets a presidential pardon. Many fans think this is why she began warming up to Trump, though those rumors haven’t been confirmed.
September 2021 : Nicki Goes Anti-Vax
Minaj refuses to attend the vaccinated-only Met Gala in 2021, telling a bizarre story about her cousin’s friend’s testicles swelling up. She then claims she was invited to the Biden White House to discuss the COVID-19 vaccine, which the White House denies. Minaj does not visit the White House. She later shares a Tucker Carlson clip praising her for her vaccine skepticism.
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November 2023: Nicki Speaks Out About Vaccine Stance
On the same August 2023 evening when Trump racked up his fourth arrest in a five-month period, Minaj speaks about the backlash to her previous anti-vaccination sentiments. “Every time I talk about politics, people get mad. I’m sorry, but I am not going to be told who I should get on social media and campaign for,” she said. “There’s a lot we don’t know that’s going on in the government, and I don’t think it changes whether you lean to the left or right.”
November-December 2025: Nicki Versus Newsom
Minaj starts a beef with California Gov. Gavin Newsom after he says he “wants to see trans kids” in an interview with the New York Times’ Ezra Klein. “GavOUT. Send in the next guy, I’m bored,” she posts on X. “It’s the end of the road for you, my love,” she writes in a subsequent post. “Get on the nearest jet ski and let that beautiful hair blow in the wind.”
December 2025: A Turning Point USA Guest
Roughly a month into her feud with Newsom, Minaj causes a stir by appearing alongside Erika Kirk at Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest in Phoenix. The Barb joins Kirk, the widow of TPUSA founder Charlie Kirk, onstage for a Q&A session, where they bond over their shared political views. The conversation included fawning over President Trump and Vice President JD Vance, and multiple jabs at Newsom, whom Minaj called “Newscum” in a page from President Trump’s playbook.
“We don’t have a problem cleaning up the scum if we have to,” the rapper said, referencing the California governor. “Please tread lightly — that’s what I’d say to Gavie poo.” Minaj’s presence at AmericaFest increased speculation about her alliance with the Republican Party, and was perceived as the hitmaker drawing her political line in the sand.
January 2026: Trump’s ‘Number One Fan’
Despite having millions of fans herself, Minaj expresses her admiration for President Trump and calls herself his “number one fan.” Traveling to Washington, D.C., to attend his Trump Accounts Summit, Minaj got her first opportunity to formally meet with Trump. The fellow Queens, New York natives were seen being chummy at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium while posing for photos. Longtime fans were puzzled by her growing proximity to Trump, while ardent MAGA enthusiasts welcomed the lyricist into the fold with open arms.
May 2026 – TIME Interview Helps Set the Record
Her support of Republican politicians creating more questions than answers, Minaj sits down with TIME to set the record straight. The profile included several revelations from the artist, including being disillusioned with the Democratic Party and her fondness for President Trump, whom she compared to Marilyn Monroe. Attributing her disdain for Newsom to his inaction amid multiple “swatting” incidents at her Los Angeles home, Minaj praised U.S. Representative Anna Paulina Luna and other Republican Party members for their support, which she says swayed her political ideology toward the right.
