Over the weekend, rap superstar Nicki Minaj took the stage at the TPUSA's (Turning Point USA) AmFest in Phoenix, Arizona, to tell a large crowd about her journey to publicly supporting many of the polices of President Donald Trump. 

"He [Trump] has 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," she said in an on-stage discussion with TPUSA founder Charlie Kirk's widow, Erika Kirk. 

The Trinidad-born "Queen of Rap", who first burst onto the scene in 2010, does not have a public history of supporting Republicans. According to the Recording Industry Association of America, Minaj has sold over 100 million records worldwide, making her the best-selling female rapper of all time.

However, a commonly referenced song lyric from 2012 has confused many into believing she has been a lifelong Republican, when she guest-appeared on Lil Wayne's song "Mercy" and rapped, "I'm a Republican voting for Mitt Romney...you lazy bitches f***ing up the economy". 

Manicured public position in politics

Following public intrigue, Minaj clarified it as sarcasm and creative humor, and later tweeted support and love for then-President Barack Obama, though she wasn't registered to vote at the time. Additionally, she expressed support for Hillary Clinton in 2016 and condemned Trump's so-called family separation policy at the border in 2018.

Woven throughout her story arc, however, were faint indicators of possible support for some of Trump's policies. In 2015, Minaj told BillBoard Magazine that "there are points he [Trump] made that may not have been so horrible if his approach wasn't so childish. But in terms of entertainment, I think he's hilarious. I wish they could just film him running for president. That's the ultimate reality show."

Then, in 2021, Minaj abstained from attending the illustrious Met Gala because of the event's vaccine requirements. She posted on X, then Twitter at the time, that her cousin's friend took the vaccine and became impotent and that his testicles became swollen. She then told her millions of followers to "pray on it and make sure you're comfortable with ur decision, not bullied."

Minaj: "I like to make my own assessment of everything without help from anyone"

Two years later in 2023, while speaking to Vogue, Minaj doubled down, affirming that her comments were meant to inspire others to do their own research and be independent. "I like to make my own assessment of everything without help from anyone," she said. "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." 

In recent months, however, Minaj's support for more Republican-aligned messages intensified when she reposted an official White House account's TikTok post touting Trump's thus-far achievements. The background music featured Minaj's tune, "Va Va Voom."

In November, Minaj publicly backed Trump's assertions about Christian persecution in Nigeria. She joined U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations (UN), Mike Waltz, at an event at the UN and warned, "In Nigeria, Christians are being targeted. Churches have been burned, families have been torn apart, simply because of how they pray."

Role Models

Minaj made it clear that she had made the full political shift when she told the crowd of young supporters, many of whom were male, "Young men, you have amazing role models like our handsome, dashing president and you have amazing role models like the assassin J.D. Vance, our vice president." The Urban Dictionary describes some similar street slang, in which a "babyface assassin" is a desirable male.

Minaj told the TPUSA crowd, "We are the cool kids. The other people, they are the ones who are still just disgruntled."

When asked by Kirk about the blowback from her appearance, her support of Trump and why she was speaking out about politics, Minaj said, "Well, I just got tired of being pushed around. Sometimes you just get tired of it, and then you realize, wait a minute, I have something inside of me that's stronger than what's out there."

"Why do I even care about these people and what they think? Who are they? They don't even know who they are. So I'm not going to back down anymore. I'm not going to back down ever again."