Nicki Minaj is no stranger to controversy, and now the rap superstar is getting strong reactions over a political post.
Minaj is backing President Donald Trump as he goes after Nigeria over the alleged persecution of Christians, garnering a response from the administration and backlash from many on social media.
Nicki Minaj receives backlash after supporting President Donald Trump
Trump took to social media on Friday to designate Nigeria “A COUNTRY OF PARTICULAR CONCERN” to the United States, alleging that “thousands of Christians are being killed” in the West African nation by “radical Islamists.” Trump’s pledge to investigate possible Christian persecution in Nigeria was met with approval by MAGA supporters and by Minaj, who shared a screenshot of the post and praised Trump’s move. “Reading this made me feel a deep sense of gratitude. We live in a country where we can freely worship God,” Minaj posted on X, formerly Twitter, Saturday. Noting, “No group should ever be persecuted for practicing their religion,” Minaj extended a “thank you to The President & his team for taking this seriously.” She ended her message to her followers by saying, “God bless every persecuted Christian. Let’s remember to lift them up in prayer.”
Responses to Minaj’s post have been mixed. Several condemned her support for Trump. A self-proclaimed “Cardi B enthusiast” said the rapper’s support for Trump and her being a conspiracy theorist shouldn’t come as a surprise, along with a reaction meme video, telling Minaj she’s the one ruining her legacy, not Roc Nation.
Minaj’s political views scrutinized
Another X user posted a confused face GIF, saying, “So how exactly are people surprised or shocked that Nicki Minaj is a Trump supporter?????? She’s been very loud about it for years.”
Minaj has commented on politics over the years without firmly declaring a partisan affiliation. In 2012, Minaj turned heads when she rapped, “I’m a Republican voting for Mitt Romney/ you lazy b***hes are f**king up the economy.” However, she later clarified in a tweet to President Barack Obama that she was using “creative humor & sarcasm” in the line. In 2015, she stated that she supported Hillary Clinton “as a woman” without saying whether she would vote for her, while calling Trump’s campaign at the time “childish” but also “hilarious.” Reports that Minaj endorsed Trump in 2024 were determined to be false.
Approval for Minaj from the Trump administration as Nigeria pushes back against accusations
Minaj’s post received approval from Trump supporters and even members of the administration. U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Michael Waltz responded to Minaj on X, thanking her for “using your platform to speak out in defense of the Christians being persecuted in Nigeria.” He extended an invitation to meet with Minaj to discuss the matter, and Minaj responded that she’d be “honored” to do so.
Waltz said in a Fox News appearance, “Kudos and thanks to someone like Nicki Minaj as a Christian but as someone with a following that she has and with a lot of followers who may not be paying attention to these kinds of issues to kind of double down.”
As the ambassador praises Minaj for her support, the Trump administration has indicated that it’s developing plans that could include military intervention in Nigeria.
But Trump’s claims of Christian persecution are misleading and incomplete.
Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, is divided almost evenly between Muslims who live mainly in the north of the country and Christians who predominantly reside in the south. An Islamist terrorist organization, Boko Haram, has killed tens of thousands of people and conducted high-profile kidnappings and other attacks in its decade-long insurgency. Though the group has targeted Christians among its victims, many of those killed have been Muslims in the north, where the group is based. Members of the Nigerian government have denied that a Christian genocide is taking place and reiterated that the government promotes religious freedom and continues to fight extremists, with Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu saying in a statement, “The characterisation of Nigeria as religiously intolerant does not reflect our national reality.”
As the U.S. government presses its accusations against Nigeria, the country’s officials have expressed hope that the leaders of the two nations can resolve this issue peacefully. With the Trump administration taking increasingly hostile stances against various countries, it remains to be seen if it will follow through on its comments about Nigeria. For now, the administration is counting on Minaj as a high-profile supporter of its position on Nigeria.