Nearly a decade ago, Nicki Minaj rhymed “Island girl, Donald Trump want me go home,” in an impromptu remix of Rae Sremmurd’s megahit “Black Beatles.”
She used the song, which was called "Black Barbies” to speak out against the call for mass deportations and border walls promised in the President’s first campaign for the White House.
Fast forward to 2025, the same outspoken voice that delivered the once-iconic “pickle juice” harangue—using Trump’s brute reputation to highlight blatant misogyny—has joined his quest to “Make America Great Again.”
On Sunday (Dec. 21), Nicki Minaj appeared onstage with Erika Kirk, the wife of the slain Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, praising the president during the organization’s AmericaFest event.
Appearing on stage in full agitator form, she made a public commitment to the Republican party.
While she is not the only rapper who has backed the Trump administration, she is one of the loudest and one of the biggest, to come out of the MAGA closet.
Back in 2012, Minaj hopped on Kanye West’s “Mercy” instrumental with her mentor Lil Wayne and claimed to be a “Republican voting for Mitt Romney.” The provocative brag echoed all the way to then President Barack Obama’s ears whose belief that the bar was satirical was confirmed by the Queen performer herself.
Today, the joke is on her.
The 43-year-old has baited the Barbs into supporting her journey to the right wing of the political spectrum—breadcrumbing conservative talking points through music, social media, and public statements.
In a perfect world, there “would’ve, could’ve, should’ve been” a plethora of plausible reasons the Grammy nominee, who was once regarded as a vigorous supporter of communities targeted by the current administration, has turned her back on her fanbase.
Here is a timeline of Nicki Minaj’s right wing turn over the years.
December 2015: Nicki Minaj on Trump: “I think he’s hilarious.”
During a 2015 Billboard interview, Minaj commented on Trump—then still competing in the Republican primaries—from the perspective of a fellow New Yorker (they are both from Queens).
She said, “There are points he has made that may not have been so horrible if his approach wasn’t so childish. But in terms of entertainment—I think he’s hilarious. I wish they could just film him running for president. That’s the ultimate reality show.”
The response was made prior to Trump’s plan for a Muslim ban was revealed. In the same interview, she offered praise for Obama and support for Hillary Clinton but stopped shy of endorsing her for the country’s highest-ranking office.
October 2016: Nicki sends indirect shots at FLOTUS, “You better pray to God you don't get stuck with a motherfucking Melania."
In 2016, while on stage in Brooklyn at a TIDAL benefit concert , the chart topper took aim at power couples in politics, diminishing the current First Lady in the process.
“You n****s are so fucking weak, ya’ll got the audacity to be intimidated by a bad motherfucking queen and get your motherfucking feelings hurt," Minaj said. "'Cause Barack needed Michelle, bitch. And Bill needed a motherfucking Hilary,” she chanted. “You better pray to God you don't get stuck with a motherfucking Melania."
Later on social media she downplayed her message, and claimed that Melania seemed “nice” however “a smart man knows he needs a certain ‘kind’ of woman when running for President/attempting greatness.”
The “Black Barbies” freestyle was released the following month.
June 2018: Nicki speaks out against Trump’s immigration policies, “I came to this country as an illegal immigrant at 5 years old.”
During Trump’s first term, Nicki’s political identity aligned with practices adapted by liberals and Democrats, often speaking out against Trump’s immigration policies. On her now-defunct Instagram account, the rapper detailed her plight from Saint James, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago in solidarity with immigrants coming to the U.S.-Mexico border.
“I can’t imagine the horror of being in a strange place and having my parents stripped away from me at the age of five. This is so scary to me. Please stop this. Can you try to imagine the terror & panic these kids feel right now?” she said.
February 2020: Nicki declares that she’s not “going to jump on the Donald Trump (hate) bandwagon.”
In 2020, Nicki spoke at the Pollstar Live conference, and doubled down on her disdain for Trump’s immigration policies. However, she refused to speak out against his entire MAGA movement.
Asked point-blank about her feelings about the president, Minaj said, “No, I’m not going to jump on the Donald Trump (hate) bandwagon. I don’t like that. I get a lot of people who 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,” she explained.
Still, she flirted with her admiration for Trump.
“I was like, something about this doesn’t sit right in my spirit,” she added. “But, on Celebrity Apprentice, I think he was funny as hell.”
September 2021: Nicki comes out against the COVID-19 vaccine, says the shot made her cousin’s testicles swollen.
As the entire world frantically adjusted to life during the COVID-19 pandemic, Minaj took to social media to share her views and rhetoric on the vaccine which were met with agreement from conservative commentator Tucker Carlson. She shared her hesitancy to get inoculated ahead of the Met Gala, stating that she wanted to do her own research first. She also infamously declared that her cousin experienced swollen testicles as a side effect to taking the vaccine.
The fall-out resulted in the White House offering to speak to the rapper regarding the alleged side effects that plagued her cousin, which both then President Joe Biden’s chief medical advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci and Terrence Deyalsingh, former health minister for Trinidad and Tobago both denied.
November 2023: “Every time I talk about politics, people get mad.”
Despite what Fauci and Deyalsingh said, Nicki Minaj doubled down on her beliefs. During an interview with Vogue she said that she "maintains a leery independence, though she is now less likely to shout it from the rafters."
“I’m one of those people who doesn’t go with a crowd,” she told the magazine. “I like to make my own assessment of everything without help from everyone.”She also added:
“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. 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 2025: Nicki speaks at the United Nations:” I would like to thank President Donald Trump…”
Rather than end her year celebrating musical accomplishments or posting Holiday selfies, Nicki Minaj has opted to label Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance “Heroes.”
In November, Minaj backed Trump’s decision to put Nigeria on a watch list due to alleged anti-Christian violence. Later that month, she went on to speak to members of the United Nations alongside US ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz. Her appearance was met with criticism and backlash.
“I would like to thank President Donald Trump for prioritizing this issue, and for his leadership on the global stage, and calling for urgent action to defend Christians in Nigeria to combat extremism, and to bring a stop to violence against those who simply want to exercise their natural right to freedom of belief,” she said to global leaders.
She continued to big up her UN speech on social media boasting, “United Nations was a MAGA Flex. Trump on da text. Yall should be afraid of what I’m gon do next.”
That same month, the acclaimed songwriter reposted a TikTok clip from the official White House account that celebrated Trump’s presidency and used her song “Va Va Voom.”
The video reportedly featured anti-trans and anti-immigration hyperbole. She also co-signed a post from the White House that used a trending “Beez in the Trap” with 4 Non Blondes’ 1993 hit “What’s Up?” mashup.
December 2025: Nicki comes out as full MAGA, “I have the utmost respect and admiration for our president.”
With new alliances formed, Minaj has gained political adversaries and entered the month with new beef. Nicki proved her loyalty to Trump by picking a fight on X with California governor Gavin Newsom over his supportive comments about transgender children.
Newsom responded with a clip featuring images of Trump and notorious child trafficker Jeffrey Epstein soundtracked by Megan Thee Stallion’s “Hiss”. The specific portion of the audio used was the “Megan’s Law” line, which is a diss against a diss against her husband’s status as a registered sex offender referencing “Megan’s Law.”
She continued her tirade against Newsom, attacking everything from his advocacy and politics to his “lace front,” and calling on her blindly loyal fanbase to protect her from “that wicked & evil man.”
The appearance with Charlie Kirk’s widow surprised both Nicki Minaj fans and Republican loyalists as the two women engaged in their version of an honest conversation. The full dialogue ranged from shots at Newsom and appreciation for Trump to religion and race.
“What was the turning point well, I just got tired of being pushed around,” she revealed of her decision to dive into the political deep end. “I’m not gonna back down anymore. I’m not gonna back down ever again.”
January 2025: Nicki Minaj says she’s President Donald Trump’s “No. 1 fan.”
On Wednesday (Jan. 28), Nicki Minaj attended the Trump Accounts Summit in Washington, D.C. The day-long event was designed to encourage parents to enroll their children in Trump Accounts, a new tax-advantaged investment program created under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
During the summit, Minaj offered her strongest public endorsement of President Donald Trump to date. She held hands with the president and doubled down on her support while he stood behind her. She told the crowd, “I don’t know what to say, but I will say that I am probably the president’s No. 1 fan. That’s not going to change.”
Minaj also addressed the backlash she has received for her political views, saying the criticism only motivates her further. “We’re not going to let them get away with bullying him and the smear campaigns. It’s not going to work, OK? He has a lot of force behind him, and God is protecting him. Amen,” she said.
Before Minaj’s remarks, Trump introduced her as “the greatest and most successful female rapper in history.” He also told attendees that Minaj was “generously” investing “hundreds of thousands of dollars” into Trump Accounts for the children of her fans.
After the event, Minaj later took to social media to show off what appeared to be a Trump Gold Card she received from the former president.
Earlier this month, she was widely criticized after launching a homophobic rant against former CNN reporter Don Lemon, following his coverage of a church protest in St. Paul, Minnesota.
“DON ‘COCK SUCKIN’ LEMON IS DISGUSTING,” she wrote in an all-caps post alongside an image of Chucky from the Child’s Play franchise.
She later claimed she used the phrase intentionally to attract media attention.