Nicki Minaj recently spoke at a Jan 28 event promoting government-backed investment accounts for babies after President Donald Trump invited her to join him on stage. At that same event, after posing for many photos, the rapper received a "gold card" and shared a photo of it on X.
In December, Nicki joined Erika Kirk on stage at a Turning Point USA event. Now, her fans—known as the Barbz—are reckoning with the rapper's public endorsement of the Trump administration.
What happened at the event
During the event, Minaj praised Trump openly. She called herself "probably the president’s No. 1 fan," and she said criticism never bothered her. "The hate or what people have to say, it does not affect me at all," she told the crowd.
Meanwhile, clips from the event spread online. Clips infiltrated social media feeds of a defiant Minaj, who said, "I am probably the president’s number one fan — and that’s not going to change."
The White House X account posted a staged photo of Minaj and Trump. They stood side by side, Trump smiling and giving a thumbs-up while Minaj stood with her hands on her hips and smirked.
The caption read, "BARBZ x MAGA," and the account tagged Minaj.
Nicki gets a gold card
Another important part of the day was when the rapper was gifted a gold card that featured Donald Trump’s face and his Sharpie signature. She wrote simply, "Welp."
In a follow-up post, she clarified, "Residency? Residency? The cope is coping. 😅 Finalizing that citizenship paperwork as we speak as per MY wonderful, gracious, charming President."
She then referenced the petition that had been gaining steam for her to be deported to Trinidad following her appearance at a Turning Point USA event in December. She wrote, "Thanks to the petition. 📋 I wouldn’t have done it without you. Oh CitizenNIKA you are thee moment. Gold Trump card free of charge."
The card itself raised questions. According to a government page, the Trump Gold Card functioned as a visa with a hefty price tag. It required a $150K DHS processing fee and a $1 million "gift."
According to the BBC, Minaj spoke about her citizenship in a 2024 TikTok live stream. She said then, "I'm not a citizen of America. Isn't that crazy? I was born on a beautiful island called Trinidad and Tobago. But I've been in the States for many years."
She added of her citizenship, "You would think that with the millions of dollars that I've paid in taxes to this country that I would have been given an honorary citizenship many, many, many thousands of years ago."
Reactions from fans and folks online
After the posts circulated, reactions poured in across platforms. On Reddit, u/ForsakenAd545 wrote, "Super rich Trump worshipper wants to destroy Social Security. What a surprise."
On X, @worstsperson criticized fan responses instead. "I know Barbz are morally bankrupt, but they’re really just sitting there and tweeting about Nicki’s outfit," they wrote, comparing the moment to the Met Gala.
Others focused on political loyalty. @livingthroughJ tweeted, "it’s dead a** so trifling to see how many barbz have switched up from being democratic to republican ALL because of being a fan of artist. LOSERS."
A separate clip, shared by @black_and_petty, showed Minaj shaking hands while wearing a Trump 2028 hat and a fur coat, questioning what "you got that Trump 2028 hat for."
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