Rapper and singer-songwriter Nicki Minaj surprised many fans after her December appearance at Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest.
The celebrity, who once celebrated former Democratic President Joe Biden’s victory, suddenly changed her political views, speaking out in support of U.S. President Donald Trump — and we might know why.
During Trump's first term, Minaj had condemned Trump’s family separations at the U.S.–Mexico border, but now she calls herself Trump’s “No. 1 fan.”
Highlights
- Nicki Minaj shifted support to Donald Trump, calling herself his 'No. 1 fan' after previously condemning his policies.
- Minaj revealed she is finalizing U.S. citizenship paperwork, crediting Trump and showing off a gold card associated with his visa scheme.
- Trump's gold card visa offers fast-track residency for $1 million; Minaj claims she received hers free of charge.
Nicki Minaj recently called herself Donald Trump's 'No. 1 fan'
Image credits: Win McNamee/Getty Images
She revealed what many are calling a potential reason behind her MAGA pivot, and it has everything to do with her American citizenship.
In September last year, Trump launched a gold card visa scheme, where an individual can receive U.S. residence in “record time” if they pay $1 million for the card. It provides an individual with the same legal status as an EB-1 or EB-2 visa, with Trump calling it a “direct path to Citizenship for all qualified and vetted people.”
Minaj, who entered the U.S. illegally at the age of 5, flashed the Trump gold card on Wednesday after an event launching the president’s IRA-style savings accounts for children.
Image credits: Alex Wong/Getty Images
She later said on social media that her citizenship paperwork was being finalized.
“I will say that I am probably the president's number one fan, and that's not going to change,” Nicki said onstage at the Trump Accounts Launch Summit in D.C. “And the hate or what people have to say, it does not affect me at all. It actually motivates me to support him more.”
She wrote on X, “Residency? Residency? The cope is coping. 😅 Finalizing that citizenship paperwork as we speak as per MY wonderful, gracious, charming President.”
She also revealed that she got the “Gold Trump card free of charge.”
Minaj reportedly said in a previous TikTok livestream that she is not a U.S. citizen. Her husband, Kenneth Petty, was convicted of attempted rape in the first degree against a 16-year-old in 1995.
His conviction could trigger restrictions under the Adam Walsh Act, which allows the government to scrutinize and, at times, deny family-based immigration petitions, which could prevent Minaj from receiving citizenship through marriage.
Minaj shared that she received Trump's gold card, a $1 million card for U.S. citizenship, for free
There have been multiple petitions recently arguing that Minaj, real name Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty, should be deported to Trinidad and Tobago, where she was born before her family entered the U.S. Minaj addressed the petitions in her post, saying, “Thanks to the petition. I wouldn’t have done it without you.”
Minaj’s post and the mention of receiving the card for free have prompted questions and speculation about whether Minaj becoming Trump’s new ally could involve circumventing the immigration system to obtain a free luxury visa.
An anonymous White House official defended the administration, telling The New York Times that the gold card was a gift, a “memento” rather than a “visa document.”
Image credits: Win McNamee/Getty Images
The New York Times also spoke to an official from the Department of Homeland Security, who clarified that Minaj has held legal permanent resident status for roughly two decades, making her already eligible to petition for citizenship.
“I came to this country as an illegal immigrant @ 5 years old,” Minaj wrote on Facebook in 2018, along with an image showing children on padded floor mats with silver Mylar thermal blankets. “I can’t imagine the horror of being in a strange place & having my parents stripped away from me at the age of 5. This is so scary to me. Please stop this. Can you try to imagine the terror & panic these kids feel right now?”
Now, as the immigration crackdown has only increased, Minaj said in December, “This administration is full of people with heart and soul.”
“I have the utmost respect and admiration for our president,” Minaj said during the TPUSA event. “I don’t know if he even knows this but he has given so many people hope that there is a chance to beat the bad guys and to win and to do it with your head held high.”