Nicki Minaj joins Trump during rally, says he’s ‘changed the energy’ of U.S.

Rapper Nicki Minaj joined U.S. President Donald Trump at a rally in Michigan on Sunday ahead of the U.S. midterm elections.

“I am so honoured to be working with this president. He represents resilience,” Minaj said after Trump invited her on stage to speak.

“Since he’s come back, he’s changed the energy of our country. He’s given us a future to look forward to,” Minaj continued. “A brighter future for us and our children, so let’s make some noise for this great man.”

“We really need all these great people to be elected, because this is a major turning point for our country,” she added.

Minaj said it is “an honour” to stand with Trump “every single time.”

“I will continue to support you forever and ever. If you run again, I will support you again,” she said as she wrapped up her speech.

“She never looked more beautiful. She gets it. She’s smart,” Trump said as the 43-year-old rapper left the stage.

Earlier in his speech, Trump, who travelled to Port Huron’s McMorran Place Arena with Minaj on Air Force One, commented on the Super Bass rapper’s appearance.

Trump was speaking about reporting on his previous comments about Sen. Jon Husted’s behind.

“I looked at his a–. I’ve never done that with a man before. Off the record — women, yes. Men, no,” Trump said. “By the way, I looked at one hell of a beautiful a– before, Nicki Minaj.”

“That’s hard to miss,” Trump added, before telling Minaj to stand up for the crowd.

After Minaj waved at the crowd, Trump said, “I hope Nicki wasn’t insulted, but we love Nicki. She’s been with us for a long time.”

After the rally, White House Communications Director Steven Cheung shared a video of himself and Minaj chatting while on Air Force One.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I think we may have found the new White House Press Secretary,” Cheung wrote.

Minaj also shared a video of herself on Air Force One with the hashtag #AirForceOneBARBIE.

This isn’t the first time Minaj has praised Trump.

During a surprise appearance at Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest convention, Minaj expressed admiration for Trump and U.S. Vice President JD Vance, calling them “role models” for young men.

Minaj was interviewed by Erika Kirk, the widow of Charlie Kirk, and the pair walked out hand in hand before sitting down for a conversation.

“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 last December. “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. And you have amazing role models like the assassin, JD Vance, our vice-president,” Minaj said to the crowd.

She quickly realized what word she used to praise Vance’s political skills — “assassin” — and went silent as she covered her mouth with her hand while the crowd murmured.

“If the internet wants to clip it, who cares? I love this woman,” said Kirk, who became a widow when Charlie Kirk was assassinated in September 2025. “Trust me, there’s nothing new under the sun that I have not heard.”

“I love you,” Minaj said to Kirk.

Minaj also mocked California Gov. Gavin Newsom, referring to him as “Newscum,” a nicknamed Trump gave him.

When Kirk asked Minaj to give advice to young men, Minaj said, “Don’t be Newscum.”

The Grammy-nominated rapper’s alignment with the Make America Great Again movement caught some interest because of her past criticism of Trump, including in 2018 when she condemned Trump’s zero-tolerance immigration policy and described herself as an “illegal immigrant.”

During the first-ever AmericaFest convention, Minaj told the audience: “It’s OK to change your mind.”

“I have the utmost respect and admiration for our president,” the Starships rapper said. “I don’t know if he even knows this, but he’s given so many people hope.”

In January, Minaj described herself as Trump’s “number one fan” after receiving a “gold card” visa, which grants applicants fast-track residency and a path to citizenship.

Trump invited the Trinidad and Tobago-born rapper up on stage in Washington, D.C., at an event launching “Trump Accounts,” a tax-advantaged individual retirement account specifically for American children.

The rapper shared a series of X posts from the event, including of her gold card, which features an image of Trump’s face on the front.

Trump’s gold cards cost $1 million and allow wealthy Americans without legal status to effectively purchase residency by paying the government, though Minaj wrote that hers was “free of charge.”

In a TikTok video, which appears to have been filmed during the launch of Trump Accounts, Minaj calls Trump her “favourite president.” He appeared beside the musician, whom he referred to as the “queen of rap.”

During a speech at the launch, Minaj told the crowd, “I will say that I am probably the president’s number-one fan, and that’s not going to change.”

“And the hate or what people have to say, it does not affect me at all. It actually motivates me to support him more,” she continued.

Minaj later confirmed on X that she was “Finalizing that citizenship paperwork as we speak.”

After her appearance, a White House official told The New York Times that Minaj’s gold card was a “memento” rather than a “visa document.”

—With files from Global News’ Rachel Goodman and The Associated Press