From country music artists to A-list actors, there's thousands of famous faces who spoken out about their support for US President Donald Trump - and one of his most vocal allies is rapper and singer Nicki Minaj.
After kickstarting her career with a massive LGBTQ+ audience, Minaj, 43, became a household name thanks to her hit singles including 'Super Bass' and 'Anaconda'. However, her two decades in the spotlight have seen her political policies shift. While she used to openly critique President Donald Trump and his right-wing policies, she's now become a familiar face at MAGA rallies.
Minaj recently addressed her friendship with the controversial president while appearing on Fox News The Ingraham Angle show earlier this month. Saying she had 'absolutely nothing' to say to those who have criticised her staunch support of Trump, Minaj shared, 'I am honoured to be able to have an opportunity to work with the administration and to work with President Trump. He has inspired many people, not just me, and he's fun. He's not just smart and he's not just the president, but he's also just someone I can relate to.'
Saying she would never 'make excuses' for loving Trump, Minaj continued, 'Every time I see him, or every time I see him speaking to other people, he's just himself. He's very, very grounded. It's easy to connect with him. It's easy to feel like he heard you, he understands you.'
How did Nicki Minaj and Donald Trump become friends?
Back in January, the Trinidad and Tobago-born rapper declared herself Trump's 'number one fan' when joining him onstage in Washington DC. Seen holding hands with the US president on the podium, Minaj shared, 'I will say that I am probably the president's number one fan, and that's not going to change. The hate or what people have to say, it does not affect me at all. It actually motivates me to support him more.'
Minaj later took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to show off her 'gold card' visa. Emblazoned with Trump's face, the card offers applicants residency and a path to US citizenship. Launched late last year, the gold card system had been heralded as a fast-track system for wealthy immigrants to secure US citizenship - costing $1 million (£723,650) and a $15,000 (£10,854) processing fee. 'Finalising that citizenship paperwork as we speak per my wonderful, glorious, charming president,' Minaj later added, noting that the card came 'free of charge.' The move came at a time of protests, after immigration agents in the US were involved in fatal shootings of US citizens.
'I came to this country as an illegal immigrant at five years old.'
Nicki Minaj
Minaj has not always such an avid MAGA supporter
The musician, who came to the US with her parents as a child, was previously an outspoken critic of Trump's hardline immigration policies. She was one of many celebs who spoke out against his family-separation policies in 2018, writing on Facebook that she 'came to this country as an illegal immigrant at five years old. I can’t imagine the horror of being in a strange place and having my parents stripped away from me. This is so scary to me. Please stop this.'
Two years prior, Minaj had referenced Trump while rapping on a remix of Rae Sremmurd’s 'Black Beatles,' titled 'Black Barbies.' Playing up her Trinidadian heritage while speaking out against the government's deportation policies, she rapped, 'Island girl, Donald Trump want me go home.'
Why did Nicki Minaj become MAGA?
So, at what point did the rapper's political associations shift? Focus on Minaj's political leanings first ramped up back in 2021, amid the global Covid-19 lockdown. The singer abstained from attending that year's Met Gala after the event rolled out vaccine requirements, claiming on X that her cousin’s friend had 'become impotent' after receiving the vaccine. She urged her followers to 'make sure you’re conformable with your decision, not bullied.'
Trinidad and Tobago Health Minister Terrance Deyalsingh later denied Minaj's story, with infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci also dismissing Minaj’s claim as misinformation. In December 2023, Minaj once again doubled down on her vaccine scepticism while speaking to Vogue. Saying she likes to 'make my own assessment of everything,' the singer 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.'
'There's a lot we don't know that's going on in the government.'
Although Minaj had been drifting towards more right-wing policies for a while, she later told Time Magazine that she had chosen to stay quiet about her Republican leanings out of fear of alienating her fans - many of whom belonged to communities that were being targeted by Trump's administration. She explained, 'I felt that way already about him, just that I didn't dare act like that publicly. It’s been ingrained in everyone's brain in the music industry that we are supposed to be a Democratic family. I just knew they would not like me supporting Trump.'
However, it was a string of security scares that would see Minaj change her approach. Between 2022 and 2023, the rapper's $20 million gated mansion became the target of repeated swatting calls: anonymous hoaxes that saw heavily armed police arrive to her doorstep. For Minaj, who is mother to a six year old son, the experiences left her frightened.
The rapper initially reached out on X for help from California Governor Gavin Newsom - however, she never heard back. 'He completely ignored me, with all the money I spent in taxes,' she claimed.
Another swatting accident took place in April 2025, catching the attention of some prominent online Republicans. One of these was Anna Paulina Luna, a former model and Turning Point USA activist turned Congresswoman from Florida. Luna called Minaj and connected the rapper with federal law-enforcement officials and a private security firm. Saying she had 'never seen anyone in politics treat me that way,' Minaj described it as being the moment she considered going public with her support of Trump's MAGA movement. She shared, 'That's what made me say that I don’t care to keep this a secret anymore.'
In November 2025, Minaj publicly aligned herself with Trump for the first time. While artists such as Sabrina Carpenter and SZA have condemned the use of their music by Trump's administration, Minaj reposted an official White House TikTok video touting Trump's alleged achievements alongside her song 'Va Va Voom.' Among some of the alleged achievements were claims 'our cities are safer than ever' and 'No men in women's sports,' referencing the administration's ongoing battle against trans women in athletics. Not long after, Minaj spoke at the United Nations on behalf of the Trump administration.
Since then, Minaj has embraced the Trump administration by posting AI-created videos of her dancing with Vice President JD Vance, as well as reposting a fan-edited video of Trump set to her song 'Moment 4 Life.'
Last December, Minaj also joined Erika Kirk - the widow of Turning Point founder Charlie Kirk, who was assassinated in September 2025 - in praising Trump. Referring to him as 'our handsome, dashing president,' Minaj added, 'I don't know if he even knows this but he's given so many people hope that there's a chance to beat the bad guys and to win, and do it with your head held high and your integrity intact.'
When asked by Kirk why she had finally chosen to speak out publicly about her support for Trump, Minaj responded, 'I just got tired of being pushed around. I'm not going to back down anymore. I'm not going to back down ever again.'
Are Donald Trump and Nicki Minaj actually friends, or is it all PR?
Indeed, Minaj's friendship with the controversial US president has long raised eyebrows. While some have questioned whether the friendship is PR based or rooted in political favours, Republican strategist Alex Bruesewitz told TMZ that there is a genuine friendship between the pair. Describing Minaj as a 'great person' with a 'massive platform,' he shared, 'I would absolutely say they're friends.'
Bruesewitz also shut down allegations that Minaj's public support of Trump was in exchange for political favours, such as visas or financial benefits. 'There’s been no conversations around that,' he told reporters. And in the eyes of Minaj, she hopes her unusual friendship with the president may well encourage other celebrities to step into the MAGA spotlight.
She told Time Magazine that 'many celebrities feel the way I do [about Trump,] but they don't say it. Sometimes, you need one brave person to get the brunt of the impact. I think I am the catalyst for that change. Hopefully, when they see me and hear me speak and feel my energy, that will make them say, "You know what: Who am I afraid of? What am I afraid of?"
Charlotte Roberts is a news and entertainment writer at Grazia UK. She spends her days covering everything celebrity, culture, and entertainment.