Performance at Turning Point USA How Nicki Minaj went from Trump critic to MAGA fan

Just a few years ago, Nicki Minaj positioned herself against Donald Trump. Today, she stands on a stage of the American right. How this change of course came about - and which topics fueled it.

Last Sunday, Nicki Minaj stood on the Turning Point USA stage and praised Donald Trump. This was no coincidental moment, but the preliminary culmination of a political change of direction that had been looming for some time. The 43-year-old rapper's political turnaround can be explained in five points.

Nicki Minaj, real name Onika Tanya Maraj, has long been close to political positions that are more associated with the US Democrats and has repeatedly expressed criticism of Donald Trump.

After Trump's election in 2016, she rapped in a song: "Island girl, Donald Trump wants me to go home." She prayed that her foreign friends would not be deported. Also in 2016, Minaj called Trump's wife Melania "brainless".

Minaj was born on the Caribbean island of Trinidad and Tobago and moved to New York with her parents as a child. According to her own statement, she still does not have a US passport. In 2018, she once again took a clear stance against Trump's deportation policy and wrote on Instagram that she came to the USA illegally at the age of five. She could hardly imagine how cruel it was to separate children from their parents at that age.

Minaj has also repeatedly stood up for queer rights. In 2019, she canceled a planned concert in Saudi Arabia, citing the human rights situation in the country as the reason. She wanted to send a clear signal for the rights of women, the LGBTQ community and freedom of expression. The following year, she appeared as a guest judge on RuPaul's Drag Race, the famous TV drag show.

Why Nicki Minaj changed her positions and how it all went down is not entirely clear. But there were clues: In September 2021, Minaj spread a questionable story on X about the Covid vaccination: a friend of her cousin's had been vaccinated and subsequently developed swollen testicles, she wrote. His fiancée then called off the wedding.

A link between Covid vaccinations and swollen testicles is considered extremely unlikely. These symptoms are not among the known side effects of the approved vaccines.

Minaj later explained that she had intended the tweet to encourage people to form their own opinions. However, the story actually helped to spread misinformation, conspiracy narratives and narratives of the anti-vaccination movement, which are particularly prevalent on the right-wing political spectrum.

Another line of argument that Nicki Minaj took up and that has become a central talking point in the right-wing political spectrum in recent months concerns the alleged persecution of Christians in Nigeria.

In mid-November 2025, Minaj spoke about the issue at the US Mission to the United Nations with US Ambassador Mike Waltz. "I stand here as a proud New Yorker and I am deeply grateful that we live in a country where we can worship God freely and safely - regardless of our faith, background or political views," Minaj said. "No group should ever be persecuted for practicing their religion."

Minaj had previously shared a post by Donald Trump in which he claimed that Christianity was facing an "existential threat" in Nigeria. "Radical Islamists" are responsible for "mass murders" of Christians in the West African country. In this context, Minaj thanked Trump for "taking the issue seriously".

However, this portrayal has been criticized by experts as abbreviated and misleading. As reported by the Associated Press news agency, among others, both Christian and Muslim civilians are victims of extremist violence in Nigeria. According to analyses, Muslims even make up a large proportion of the victims in the particularly affected regions in the north of the country. Reports of systematic persecution of Christians or even a "Christian genocide" are considered to be greatly exaggerated.

The Nigerian government also rejects the accusation of targeted persecution of Christians and speaks of a "gross distortion of reality". The violence cannot be classified as systematic persecution of a single religious group.

Nevertheless, the portrayal of an allegedly disproportionate persecution of Christians in Nigeria has become an important political issue within the Republican Party. In September, Senator Ted Cruz introduced a bill aimed at "holding Nigerian officials who facilitate Islamist jihadist violence or the enforcement of blasphemy laws accountable". Earlier this month, Trump also threatened to cut off all aid to Nigeria if the government "continues to allow the murder of Christians".

Disputes have always been part of rap culture. Beefs, diss tracks and public conflicts are an integral part of the genre - from Bushido against Sido to Drake against Kendrick Lamar and Nicki Minaj against Cardi B. However, Minaj's latest opponent is not from the music scene, but from politics: Californian governor Gavin Newsom.

For some time now, Minaj has been attacking Newsom, particularly on the platform X. "Oh Gavvy Pooh, it's only going to get worse for you from here, buddy," she wrote in a post, alluding to Newsom's interest in running for president in 2028. "This is the end for you, my dear. Get on the next jet ski and let your beautiful hair blow in the wind. That will make you happier than this election campaign, which you won't win."

In the course of the controversy, Nicki Minaj also publicly positioned herself against trans people. Newsom had previously stated that he had done more for trans children than any other governor before him and wanted to further improve their situation. Minaj responded to this with a post on X: "Imagine being the guy who's out to see trans kids. Haha." She went on to write that "normal" adults wanted to see "healthy, safe and happy kids" above all else.

However, the conflict between Minaj and Newsom remains largely one-sided. Newsom failed to respond directly to her attacks. Only once did he post a video with images of Donald Trump and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, accompanied by the song "Hiss" by Megan Thee Stallion - a disparaging track aimed at Minaj.

This December at the latest, Nicki Minaj's support for Donald Trump became unmistakable. Unlike other artists - such as Sabrina Carpenter - Minaj did not react angrily but demonstratively favorably when the White House used one of her songs for a social media post.

On Sunday, Minaj performed alongside Erika Kirk, the widow of far-right activist Charlie Kirk who was killed in September, at Turning Point USA's annual conference. During her performance, Minaj praised the Trump administration as "full of people with heart and soul" and said it made her proud. She also described Trump as a "good-looking guy" who should serve as a role model for young Americans.

As soon as Minaj left the stage, the White House shared a clip of the performance on Instagram.