Topline
Rapper Nicki Minaj explained her surprising rightward political shift in an interview with Time, outlining a variety of reasons she became a public supporter of President Donald Trump and laying blame on Democratic figures like California Gov. Gavin Newsom and former President Barack Obama for alienating her.
Nicki Minaj became a vocal Trump supporter late last year. (Photo by Caylo Seals/Getty Images)
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Key Facts
Minaj, who became an open Trump supporter in late 2025 and has since appeared with the president on multiple occasions, told Time she had identified with Trump for a while, but “didn’t dare act like that publicly” because Democratic politics are “ingrained in everyone’s brain in the music business.”
An early incident that pushed Minaj rightward was when her Los Angeles mansion was targeted by multiple swatting calls between 2022 and 2023, prompting her to request a meeting with Newsom, whom she alleged “completely ignored me, with all the money I pay in taxes.”
But after an April 2025 swatting incident, Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna offered to connect Minaj with law enforcement and private security, which Minaj said helped encourage her to go public with her political views, as she had “never seen anyone in politics treat me that way.”
Minaj’s discontent with Democrats grew during the 2024 election, telling Time she found a speech Obama made at a rally for former Vice President Kamala Harris—in which he suggested some Black men did not want to vote for a woman—to be condescending.
Trump campaign advisor Alex Bruesewitz, who is largely credited with connecting Trump to podcasters, connected Minaj with the administration after Minaj thanked Trump in a post on X in November for discussing violence against Christians in Nigeria.
Minaj told Time critics of her appearance at a United Nations event about violence against Christians only emboldened her to speak out further in support of Trump: “If they would have left me alone, maybe I would not have done so much,” she said.
Surprising Fact
Minaj also blamed Jay-Z, the billionaire rapper and music mogul whose Roc Nation entertainment company, Minaj says, has consolidated too much power, for her rightward political shift. She told Time Jay-Z’s closeness with Obama “ended up costing Obama a lot, whether he knows it or not. Lots of rappers don’t like Jay-Z and were afraid to say it,” Minaj claimed. Minaj has long accused Roc Nation of attempting to sabotage her music career, and she claimed Jay-Z’s power in the industry has caused many artists to resent him.
Tangent
Minaj also doubled down on statements she made in 2021 about the Covid-19 vaccine that drew condemnation from Democrats and public health experts. In a controversial tweet, she said her cousin in Trinidad refused to get the vaccine because his friend’s “testicles became swollen” after being vaccinated. Trinidad’s health minister Terrence Deyalsingh criticized Minaj’s remark as a “false claim.” “I guess they had examined everyone’s testicles in Trinidad and came back to tell me that I was lying,” Minaj told Time.
What To Watch For
Minaj told Time she would help Trump campaign for Republicans during the upcoming midterm elections, if asked. “I’ll do whatever it is,” she said. Minaj also suggested she would be the “catalyst” for more celebrities to come out as Trump supporters. “Many celebrities feel the way I do, but they don’t say it. Sometimes you just need one brave person to get the brunt of the impact,” she said.
Key Background
Minaj made her first appearance with Trump administration officials in November, speaking with U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz about violence against Christians in Nigeria. Some experts have pushed back on claims of Christian persecution, though, saying other religious and ethnic groups are also targeted by violence at similar rates. In January, Minaj appeared with Trump at an event announcing his Trump accounts initiative, and she appeared at the premiere event for the “Melania” documentary at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. In February, after Grammy Awards host Trevor Noah joked Minaj was not in attendance because she was “still at the White House with Donald Trump,” Minaj slammed the awards show as a “ritual,” saying, “God almighty will reveal himself to them.” Across dozens of posts on X, she urged LGBTQ people and Christians not to vote for “demoncrats,” alleging they have “demons inside of them” and are “flying in immigrants to vote b/c they reneged on all the promises they made to African Americans.”
Further Reading
How Nicki Minaj Went MAGA (Time)
Nicki Minaj’s Full-On MAGA Rant: Slams ‘Demoncrats,’ Jay-Z And Trevor Noah’s Grammy Dig (Forbes)