Self-proclaimed “Queen of Rap” Nicki Minaj has drawn criticism following her recent appearances alongside President Trump and other politically conservative figureheads.
Minaj, known for revolutionizing the role of women in rap and hip-hop throughout the 2010s, joined the widow of Charlie Kirk, Erika Kirk, at Turning Point USA’s annual AmericaFest convention, where she praised the Trump administration and conservative ideologies.
“I’ve traveled the world. I’ve performed for huge crowds all around the world, and no matter how many songs I do on that stage. It didn’t mean as much as this,” Minaj said, referencing her appearance at the event on Dec. 21, 2025.
Just weeks after her appearance with Kirk, Minaj joined President Trump onstage at the “Trump Accounts” summit on Jan. 28, where she received a Golden Visa card.
Minaj is known as one of the best female rappers of modern day, with 12 Grammy nominations, multiple diamond and platinum certifications. She is the first woman in rap to debut at No.1 on the Billboard since Lauryn Hill in 1998.
Master Instructor and Director of Howard’s writing center Kyr Mack recalled the moment where he was first introduced to Minaj via her Sucka Free Mixtape in 2008 during his senior year of highschool.
“Her lyrical prowess and storytelling abilities on that project really shipped me to newer female rap artists that were starting to gain major prominence in a male dominated arena,” Mack said.
Despite her twenty-plus-year rap career and iconic discography, Minaj’s latest act has seemed to have crossed a line for many people, including her fans.
Following her appearance at the events, she lost around 10 million followers on Instagram until she deleted her account altogether, and many fans took to social media to express their disappointment.
“She’s doing a disservice to the fans that have propped her up and made her a force to be reckoned with in the music industry,” Mack said.
Turning Point USA was founded by the late Charlie Kirk in 2012 to influence younger generations to adopt conservative Christian ideologies.
However, Kirk’s reputation for engaging in racist, homophobic and sexist rhetoric, along with using his Turning Point platform to further do so, has made him and those associated with him controversial figures.
Minaj’s fan base consists of members of the Black and queer community, and women, all of which are groups that have been targeted by Turning Point’s ideologies.
Howard University chemistry major and native of Johnson City, Tennessee, Priya Lewis, recalls her first impression of Minaj being “very Black,” and her content and fans mainly consisting of “gay men.”
Because of this, former fans of Minaj are not taking this as a misstep in her career, or a harmless expression of one’s personal opinion, but a direct betrayal of the fans that have stuck by her throughout her career.
Sophomore chemistry major Priya Lewis labeled Minaj’s actions as “asinine” and said that she believes that “there is no way she actually supports them.”
Additionally, many people via social media have taken the opportunity to call out Minaj’s behavior preceding her presence at recent conservartive events.
A TikTok creator under the name @belatown has had a video resurfaced of them recounting Minaj’s history, and accusing the rapper of associating with sex offenders, one being her own husband, and making fun of other women in the rap industry.
In spite of the backlash, Minaj has continued to express alignment with conservative politics through posts on X.
Copy edited by Kennedi Bryant
