Nicki Minaj Has Officially Gone MAGA
The year is 2025, and Nicki Minaj is speaking at the United Nations in support of the Trump administration. This is just the reality we are all living in. On Tuesday, Minaj spoke at the United States Mission to the U.N. about the persecution of Christians in Nigeria, a new right-wing talking point that experts say doesn’t address the complexities of violence in the country.
After being introduced by a surprisingly emotional Mike Waltz, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, the rapper addressed the situation in Nigeria, thanked President Donald Trump, and even gave multiple shout-outs to the Barbz. “I stand here as a proud New Yorker with a deep sense of gratitude that we live in a country where we can freely and safely worship God, regardless of one’s creed, background, or politics,” Minaj said. “No group should ever be persecuted for practicing their religion.”
Here’s how we got to this point.
Why is Nicki Minaj pro-Trump now?
Minaj, who once condemned the president’s immigration policy, has come around in support of his new administration, apparently through its concern for Christians in Nigeria. Earlier this month, she shared one of Trump’s Truth Social posts in which he claimed that “Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria.” Trump claimed that “radical Islamists” were responsible for the “mass slaughter” of Christians in the West African nation.
“Reading this made me feel a deep sense of gratitude. We live in a country where we can freely worship God,” Minaj wrote. “Numerous countries all around the world are being affected by this horror & it’s dangerous to pretend we don’t notice.” The rapper then thanked the president for “taking this seriously.”
Reading this made me feel a deep sense of gratitude. We live in a country where we can freely worship God.
— Nicki Minaj (@NICKIMINAJ) November 1, 2025
No group should ever be persecuted for practicing their religion. We don’t have to share the same beliefs in order for us to respect each other.
Numerous countries all… pic.twitter.com/2M5sPiviQu
On Sunday, Time journalist Eric Cortellessa reported that Minaj would join Ambassador Waltz in delivering remarks on the persecution of Christians in Nigeria. Waltz later confirmed the news, writing on X, “I’m grateful she’s leveraging her massive platform to spotlight the atrocities against Christians in Nigeria, and I look forward to standing with her as we discuss the steps the President and his administration are taking to end the persecution of our Christian brothers and sisters.” He also called her “arguably the greatest female recording artist.” Is this an official MAGA endorsement of Gag City?
In response, Minaj shared Waltz’s post and added that she is “grateful to be entrusted with an opportunity of this magnitude.” “The Barbz & I will never stand down in the face of injustice. We’ve been given our influence by God. There must be a bigger purpose,” she wrote.
Why is Trump talking about Nigeria in the first place?
Over the past few months, the idea that Christians in Nigeria are being disproportionately targeted by extremist groups has become a big talking point for Republicans. In September, Senator Ted Cruz introduced a bill that sought to “[hold] accountable Nigerian officials who facilitate Islamist jihadist violence and the imposition of blasphemy laws.”
Earlier this month, Trump threatened to cut off all aid to Nigeria if the country’s government “continues to allow the killing of Christians.” In a post on Truth Social, he floated the possibility that the U.S. “may very well go into that now disgraced country, ‘guns-a-blazing.’” Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth shared the president’s post to X and wrote, “Either the Nigerian Government protects Christians, or we will kill the Islamic Terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities.” Following Trump’s declaration, the State Department officially designated Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern,” a title given to countries “engaged in severe violations of religious freedom.”
NBC News later reported that Trump was moved to comment on Nigeria after watching a Fox News segment about the country.
Are Trump and Minaj correct about what’s happening in Nigeria?
Unsurprisingly, the situation is more nuanced than Trump and Nicki Minaj are making it seem. According to reports, both Christian and Muslim civilians in Nigeria have been attacked by militant groups. Ladd Serwat, senior Africa analyst at the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data program, told the Associated Press that while there is religious violence in Nigeria, the country’s “large population and vast geographic differences make it impossible to speak of religious violence as motivating all violence.” Nnamdi Obasi, a senior adviser at the International Crisis Group think tank, also told CNN that religion-motivated attacks in Nigeria aren’t the whole picture. “In most parts of the country, Christians and Muslims live peacefully with each other,” Obasi said. “Reports of widespread persecution and mass slaughter of Christians are seriously misread and exaggerate the challenges of interfaith relations in the country.”
Nigerian officials have also denied the U.S. government’s claims that it is facilitating the persecution of Christians. “There is no systematic, intentional attempt either by the Nigerian government or by any serious group to target a particular religion,” information minister Mohammed Idris told the AP. Speaking to CNN, Nigerian presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga said he was “shocked that President Trump is mulling an invasion of our country.”
What did Minaj say at the U.N.?
The big event started with an opening prayer from Reverend Timothy McMurtry, who introduced himself as Wisconsin’s state coordinator for Christians United for Israel. Mike Waltz then came onstage and introduced Minaj with the same reverence one might give to, say, Malala or the Pope. “We are especially thrilled that we are going to hear from an especially powerful voice, a fearless advocate whose passion for justice transcends borders, and she uses her voice to defend the voiceless,” Waltz said. Choking up, he later added, “Nicki, I can’t tell you how much I admire you. You’re stepping up.”
Minaj opened by thanking President Trump for “his leadership on the global stage.” She proceeded to deliver a five-minute speech addressing the situation in Nigeria, a country she said has “deep faith traditions and lots of beautiful Barbz I can’t wait to see.”
“Religious freedom means we all can sing our faith, regardless of who we are, where we live, and what we believe,” Minaj said. “But today, faith is under attack in way too many places. In Nigeria, Christians are being targeted, driven from their homes, and killed.” She added that the persecution of Christians is a problem in not only Nigeria, but “so many other countries across the world.”
Toward the end of her remarks, Minaj addressed her fans directly. “Barbz, I know you’re somewhere listening,” the rapper said. (Her stans were in fact lighting up the chat on Fox News’ livestream.) “I love you so very much. You have been the ultimate light in my life and career for so long. I appreciate you and I want to make it very clear once again, this isn’t about taking sides. This is about standing up in the face of injustice.” She does not seem to be aware of all the injustice being perpetrated by her new friends in the Trump administration, but maybe if the Barbz tag her in enough tweets, she can learn about that too?
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