Nicki Minaj made a surprise appearance at Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest convention in Phoenix, AZ on Sunday (December 21), as a guest of Erika Kirk, the widow of the organization's founder and CEO Charlie Kirk.
The 43-year-old rapper was interviewed on stage by Kirk, and took the opportunity to express her newfound support for President Donald Trump, who she described as “handsome" and "dashing.”
“I have the utmost respect and admiration for our president…," she admitted. "He’s given so many people hope that there’s a chance to beat the bad guys and to win and to do it with your head held high and your integrity intact. … This administration is full of people with heart and soul., and they make me proud of them.”
While in the past Minaj has been critical of Trump, much like her peers in the hip-hop community, she defended her decision to go against the grain and embrace different political views.
“There’s sometimes there’s a lot of things projected onto you when you change your own mind," Minaj explained. "You know, they project fear, shame, onto people who don’t think and do as they think and do. But I’ve performed for huge crowds all around the world, and no matter how many songs I do on that stage, it didn’t mean as much as this. Because this is a direct link for younger people. This is a direct link between young people and God, and there’s been a lack of that in our media, in our everyday conversations.”
As for the backlash she has experienced after vocally supporting MAGA ideals, Minaj said, “I didn’t notice… We don’t even think about them… We’re the cool kids. The other people, they’re the ones who are disgruntled, but really they’re just disgruntled with themselves.”
She then expressed her distaste for California Governor Gavin Newsom, advising, “Don’t be Newscum. 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. And when I say that…”
After accidentally calling the vice-president as an "assassin," Minaj awkwardly paused, acknowledging her choice of words in front of Kirk, whose husband was shot in killed in September at a Turning Point USA event in Utah.
Kirk helped her out, however, saying, “Trust me, there’s nothing new under the sun that I have not heard. So you’re fine. … You have to laugh about it, truly. I have been called every single thing, and you know what? God is so good. You let it roll right off your back and this is what’s so beautiful about this moment, because if the internet wants to clip it, who cares? I love Nicki. She’s an amazing woman. She has a soul and a heart for the Lord. And words are words, but I know her heart and it doesn’t even matter. And you say what you want to say, because I know your heart and I will not judge that, sister.”
In her time on stage, Minaj also condemned the mistreatment of Christians around the world while encouraging Black women to embrace their beauty, adding, “I don’t like people making other people feel badly about themselves in any way.”
See a clip below.
My darling, you did it. We’re good. Love you https://t.co/lhZKvQ3Zin pic.twitter.com/WcOPYCaICy
— Nicki Minaj (@NICKIMINAJ) December 21, 2025