Who is Donald Trump’s biggest fan?
According to Nicki Minaj, it’s none other than Nicki Minaj.
Following her cringe sit-down with Erika Kirk and her more recent homophobic tirade at Don Lemon, this is no longer a surprise.
But getting invited up to the podium to speak at a US Treasury event was a surprise — even to Minaj herself.
She began at a loss for words (but it all went south from there)
On Wednesday, January 28, Minaj attended an event for the US Treasury to to promote something called “Trump Accounts.”
Standing at the podium, Trump gushed about the rapper and how much money she allegedly makes.
He then invited Minaj to join him on the stage.
This was, it seems, as unplanned as a doddering old man getting up mid-conversation to stare out a window at a construction project.
At first, Minaj seemed to be unsure of what to say. Soon, however, she came up with a crowd-pleaser.
“I am probably the president’s number one fan,” Minaj raved.
“And,” she vowed, “that is not going to change.”
You know what? We believe that it’s not going to change.
“The ‘hate’ does not affect me,” Minaj announced in what we’re sure that she imagined was a defiant tone.
She then taunted: “It actually motivates me to support him more.”
‘I’m gonna let those nails grow’
Donald Trump doesn’t seem to know much about the singer or her music.
(And, honestly, when did she last release a bop or even a song worth knowing about?)
However, he gushed in appreciation for Minaj’s nails.
“I said, ‘I’m gonna let my nails grow,’ because I love those nails,” he told the audience. “I’m gonna let those nails grow.”
We don’t expect him to follow through. However, given that MAGA folks were wearing diapers in defiance of criticism of Trump a couple of years ago, we briefly allow ourselves to picture diehard MAGA men wearing long nails just like their beloved leader.
Obviously, a lot of people have questions about Minaj’s seemingly sudden shift to the fringe right of American politics.
She famously chatted with Christian nationalist Erika Kirk and cannot seem to stop raving about Trump.
Some believe that this is a simple right-wing grift, which we’ve seen countless times before.
Others believe that this is about Minaj’s citizenship (or lack thereof) or about her registered sex offender husband or about her imprisoned sexual predator brother.
Becoming a sycophant in exchange for political favors is the sort of bold-faced corruption that’s pretty standard in MAGA world. However, Minaj’s whole situation doesn’t seem that simple.
What happened to Nicki Minaj?
As hard as this is to say, especially for those of us who were fans of some of her music (albeit many years ago), we don’t think that Minaj herself has really changed. This is who she is, and who she was.
We linked that Matt Bernstein piece above because it is a thorough and informative rundown of why a once-celebrated music star is now shilling for MAGA world like a sub-par swimmer.
But Minaj has always been the sort of woman to pull up the ladder behind her when it comes to other women in her industry. And yes, there have been red flags about her being surprisingly anti-LGBTQ+ for years.
Maybe some things recently — the predators in her life, her weird beef with Gavin Newsom (nobody likes the guy but her reason is weird), and her anti-vax nonsense — have pushed her further into this abyss. But this is who she is.
Minaj built her fanbase primarily upon Black queer fans. She’s now done with them, and is publicly singing the praises of their enemies.