Nicki Minaj appearing as a guest speaker at Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest, was not on anyone’s 2025 bingo card, and if her appearance was not shocking enough, it was riddled with fumbles.
On Sunday, Dec. 21, the “Super Bass” rapper sat down with the org’s newly appointed CEO, Erika Kirk, during a live discussion in Arizona.
Minaj’s creepy praise of President Donald Trump took a turn when she mistakenly labeled Vice President JD Vance with a word typically used to describe someone who wrecks or destroys things.
The comment landed uncomfortably, as Minaj was seated across from Kirk, the widow of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was shot and killed on Sept. 10, 2025.
During a Q&A segment, she was asked to offer advice to young men. Her response quickly pivoted into a cringeworthy love letter to Trump and his vice president.
The New York native began with, “To young men, don’t be Newscum.” “Newscum” is a derogatory nickname primarily used by conservative critics of California Gov. Gavin Newsom, blending his last name with the word scum.
As the young Republicans laughed, the “Starships” rapper went on to express her admiration for the president.
“This administration is full of people with heart and soul, and they make me proud of them. Our vice president, he makes me … well, I love both of them,” Minaj said. “Both of them have a very uncanny ability to be someone that you relate to.”
“Dear young men, you have amazing role models like our handsome, dashing president,” she said of the president. Minaj’s response continued before she made a failed attempt to praise Vance.
“And you have amazing role models like the assassin, JD Vance, our vice president,” she said, instantly swallowing her words after realizing her phrasing was tone-deaf. She put her hand over her mouth, signaling her regret for letting the comment slip out and committing a clear foot-in-mouth moment.
🦝🦝 Nicki Minaj calling Trump and JD Vance “down to earth” and “one of us” tells me everything I need to know about how far celebrity wealth can detach someone from reality.
— Bishop Talbert Swan (@TalbertSwan) December 22, 2025
The same Trump who called Black and brown nations—including Caribbean countries like her own—“sh*thole… pic.twitter.com/5SsWnEwVI4
As a hush fell over the crowd, Kirk attempted to smooth things over and keep the conversation moving. “Trust me, it’s nothing new I’ve heard everything under the sun,” she claimed through a shaky laugh. She then reassured the rapper by saying, “You’re fine.”
The two took a brief moment without microphones, but Kirk could still be heard telling Minaj, “I love you.” She then alleged that since her husband was slain, she had been called “everything under the sun,” adding that these were moments “you let roll off your back.” She also declared she was not worried about the internet clipping the audio for defamatory use.
Kirk continued with damage control. “I love this woman. She is an amazing woman. She has a soul and a heart for the Lord and words are words, but I know her heart,” she said, looking at Minaj. “And you say what you have to say because I know your heart.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Minaj ranted about how her admiration for the administration is rooted in what she described as their refusal to buy into public perception or corruption and their commitment to standing for what is right, particularly through a religious lens.
Minaj’s jump onto the Trump train was not instantaneous. It has escalated over the past few months, especially after the White House leaned into her music catalog. In early November, the White House used a viral mashup of “Beez in the Trap” and “What’s Up?” on its official TikTok account.
@whitehouse The best to ever do it 🇺🇸
♬ original sound – The White House
The clip showed an AI-generated Trump and first lady Melania Trump on various occasions of being the First Couple, which Minaj reposted excitedly. She bragged to her fan base, the “Barbz,” that whoever uploaded it had earned “unlimited backstage Gag City for life.”
She soon shifted her focus from pop culture to politics and began vocalizing her favorable opinion of Trump more openly.
Due to the administration’s divisive policies and controversial actions, many have speculated about the true reason behind Minaj’s immersion in the MAGA atmosphere. Online critics have attributed her motives to a possible pardon negotiation for her husband, Kenneth Petty, who has ongoing legal issues stemming from an attempted rape conviction in 1995 and his failure to alert authorities when he relocated to California with Minaj in 2019.
“I mean her Husband and brother are both registered … offenders … so I see why she kissing the conservatives [behinds]. She trying to get her family pardon weird,” said one Threads follower in response to a clip of the interview segment between Kirk and Minaj.
One of her Barbz fans added, “Nicki Minaj lost me (and her mind clearly).” Another said, “Nicki Minaj GIRL what are you doing you breaking my heart I know this isn’t u.”
Others believe her sudden allegiance was fueled by her recent legal issues, a major lawsuit from a former tour employee alleging battery in early 2025, followed by efforts from her former security guard to seize her $20 million mansion to satisfy a large judgment from a case involving her husband from 2024.
Minaj’s allegiance also comes at a time when a 2024 clip of Kirk saying, “Nicki Minaj is not a good role model for 18-year-old Black girls,” because she raps about her female body parts returned to the Internet via YouTube.
