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Nicki Minaj was in Phoenix on Sunday a surprise appearance at Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest alongside Erika Kirkthe widow of TPUSA founder Charlie Kirk and the organization’s executive director. The duo took the stage to Minaj’s song “Super Bass” while holding hands. They hugged before a question-and-answer session in which Minaj effusively praised President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance. “I love both of them,” she said during the conversation.
Surprise appearance at AmericaFest
As a clip shared by Fox News showed, Kirk greeted Minaj, who responded, “I’m honored to be here, thank you for the invitation.” The Q&A session began with Kirk asking Minaj to read aloud some of her tweets criticizing Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom. Kirk called Minaj’s tweets “amazing and so funny.” More recently, Minaj has attacked Newsom on social media as he considers a 2028 presidential run, and she criticized him for expressing support for transgender children.
In one tweet, Minaj wrote that Newsom would be in a race “you won’t win,” and in another she railed against his support for transgender children. “Imagine this guy running for office saying he wants to see trans kids,” she read aloud her Dec. 12 tweet on Sunday. “Haha. Not even a trans ADULT would compete with that. Normal adults wake up and think they want to see HEALTHY, SAFE, HAPPY children.”
Criticism of Gavin Newsom
In early December, Newsom appeared on “The Ezra Klein Show,” where he told the host that he supports the trans community despite suggesting that it is unfair for transgender athletes to compete in women’s sports. “I want to see trans kids,” he said, according to USA Today. “I have a trans godfather. There is no governor who has signed more pro-trans legislation than me, and no one has been a stronger advocate for the LGBTQ[Community].” As for his stance on sports, he argued: “One must take into account the reality of those whose rights are being limited as we advance the rights of the trans community when it comes to the fairness of sporting competition. This is not a bigoted position.”
On Sunday at AmericaFest, Kirk invited Minaj to say what she would tell Newsom now. She called him “newscum,” the derogatory term Trump also uses for the governor, and Minaj said, “We have no problem cleaning up the scum if we have to, please be careful — that’s what I would say to Gavie poo.”
Praise for Trump and Vance
She then praised Trump and Vance. “I have the utmost respect and admiration for our president,” she said. “He has given, I don’t know if he even knows this, hope to so many people that there is a chance to defeat the bad guys and win, and do it with your head held high and your integrity intact.”
She added that she found Trump and Vance to be approachable. “I can identify with them when I hear them speak, I know they are one of us,” she said. She also explained, “They haven’t lost touch with the world. They’re still connected to the world. And with what’s going on in the world, with the younger people and the older people, with the richer people and the not-so-rich people — they have the ability to continue to connect, to be real, and to make us proud to be Americans.”
Further reactions and backgrounds
Minaj’s apparent affection for Trump and his administration appears to be mutual. Earlier this month, Vance weighed in on the rap feud between Nicki Minaj and Cardi B, which has been largely dormant since October, writing “Nicki>Cardi” in response to a since-deleted post from Minaj that read, “Vance > Rants.”
Minaj has also shared social media posts featuring Trump with Elon Musk, as well as a video highlighting Trump’s accomplishments since the start of his second term. Most recently, it was reported that Minaj’s appearance at the United Nations headquarters, during which she made misleading accusations of extremism against Nigerian Christians, was facilitated by Trump adviser Alex Bruesewitz.