Rapper Nicki Minaj’s journey from protester to Trump fan

On the other end of the line, the female rapper told Mr. Trump that she supported him in winning the election to take on a second term as President, sources familiar with the matter told. WSJ.

This call made Mr. Trump’s campaign managers see an opportunity to win public support from one of the world’s most famous female rappers. They immediately asked Minaj to publicly announce her support for the Republican presidential candidate.

But Minaj and her management team say she needs to keep her political views private, because going public could risk her brand and business activities.

But now that’s no longer the case. After Mr. Trump was re-elected, the 43-year-old female rapper became a new A-list face of the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement.

She visited President Trump in the Oval Office, spoke at the United Nations to support the administration’s priorities, and urged her tens of millions of social media followers to pressure lawmakers on behalf of the White House.

She chatted on stage with conservative influencers, invested in Trump’s child tax incentive program, filmed a TikTok video with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and participated in conservative commentator Katie Miller’s podcast.

At the premiere of the documentary “Melania” about first lady Melania Trump, Minaj wore a sexy blue dress and was placed near the President and his family. All of this became a “second job” that she felt “compelled to do,” the rapper said on the podcast with Miller.

During the Black History Month event in February, Mr. Trump showed that this love comes from both sides, when he mentioned Minaj’s long, well-groomed nails. “She’s so beautiful, so wonderful, and more importantly, she understands the problem,” Mr. Trump said.

The relationship between Minaj and Mr. Trump was not smooth from the beginning. When Mr. Trump ran for election in 2016, Minaj once called his policies “childish.” During Mr. Trump’s first term, she and many music stars publicly criticized him, especially about his policy of separating immigrant families.

On social networks, she talked about her memories of being brought to the US by her parents when she was 5 years old. “Can you imagine the fear and panic that such children must go through? Not knowing whether their parents are alive or dead, and whether they will ever see them again,” she wrote.

When Mr. Trump began his re-election campaign in 2020, Minaj said it was those immigrant family separation policies that made her decide to stay out of the “trend of supporting Mr. Trump”. But when the Covid-19 pandemic broke out, her political views began to change, along with vaccine skepticism.

In 2021, when the Covid-19 vaccine began to be deployed on a large scale, Minaj shared a story with her followers on social media. She said a friend of her cousin in her hometown of Trinidad suffered from impotence and swollen testicles after receiving the vaccine.

“He was getting married, but now the girl has called off the engagement,” she wrote, urging fans considering getting vaccinated to “pray about it and make sure you are comfortable with your decision, not because it’s forced.”

Doctors were quick to point out that testicular swelling is not a side effect of the Covid-19 vaccine, and Minaj has been fiercely criticized by government officials as well as many other celebrities for spreading false information. Trinidad’s Ministry of Health said there have been no reports of testicular swelling related to the vaccine.

But Minaj spoke out that this wave of fierce opposition made her question even more. A few months later, Minaj told Vogue that these comments were further evidence of her approach to politics. “I like to make my own judgments,” she said. “Every time I talk about politics, people get mad.”

People close to Minaj believe that skepticism about the Covid-19 vaccine, fueled by conflicts with rivals in the music industry who support the Democratic Party, has caused the female rapper to switch to supporting Mr. Trump, who has also made controversial statements about vaccines.

They also say that Minaj and Mr. Trump have things in common, from their Queens background to their ability to engage fans online. The US President has also long had appeal in the hip hop world, because he has pardoned a number of influential rappers such as Lil Wayne and NBA YoungBoy.

Minaj began connecting with the MAGA faction in 2024, after being introduced by Amber Rose, ex-girlfriend of rapper Kanye West, to Alex Bruesewitz, a 29-year-old former campaign staffer who specializes in targeting stars and influencers, luring them into the orbit of supporting Mr. Trump.

Later that year, Rose continued to connect with James Blair, Mr. Trump’s senior assistant, to persuade Minaj to publicly support the Republican candidate, in the context of the campaign wanting to attract more black voters and other groups.

Minaj then appeared to support Mr. Trump, but was still hesitant because she needed to consult with those around her, including the music crew. After Mr. Trump won the election, Minaj gradually publicly supported some of the administration’s goals.

In November 2025, she spoke at the United Nations on behalf of the Trump administration’s efforts to support Christians in Nigeria attacked by radical Islam.

Minaj once attacked California Governor Gavin Newsom, who may run for president in 2028, for statements that critics said implied African Americans were less intelligent.

Network analytics firm Cyabra recently released a report showing that thousands of bots contributed to amplifying political posts and helping Minaj’s pro-Trump content reach millions of views on X.

“I would say I’m probably the President’s number one fan,” Minaj said in Washington in January.

Bruesewitz called the female rapper joining Trump’s camp at the height of her fame “a huge cultural victory for the Republican party”, while the White House hopes her influence will help regain the waning support of black voters before the midterm elections.

Minaj’s fervent support for President Trump makes her a target for rivals in the rap world, where political boundaries have crept into artistic activities.

Minaj and her MAGA allies have increasingly butted heads with hip hop stars who support Democrats. In recent months, Minaj has repeatedly attacked Jay Z, a supporter of former president Barack Obama.

Vice President JD Vance in December also participated in the long-standing confrontation between Minaj and Cardi B, who once spoke at a rally for Democratic candidate Kamala Harris in 2024. “Nicki is better than Cardi,” Mr. Vance posted on X.

When Minaj visited the White House a few weeks later, Mr. Trump invited her in to a meeting he was conducting with House Speaker Mike Johnson.

White House staffers asked to take pictures with her, and the rapper even offered his opinion on how to end the government shutdown. Minaj then stopped by the Oval Office again during the day, interrupting President Trump’s meeting with auto workers.

She wore a white hat with the word TRUMP printed on it, combined with a white fur coat, and shook hands with the guests. The president realized the excitement had taken him out of the spotlight. “See, now they forget I’m here,” he joked.