Nicki Minaj believes that she’s not the only star to endorse President Donald Trump.
“Many celebrities feel the way I do, but they don’t say it,” Minaj, 43, told TIME in a Wednesday, May 13, profile. “Sometimes you just need one brave person to get the brunt of the impact. I think I am the catalyst for that change.”
According to Minaj, she’s hopeful that her continued advocacy will inspire other celebrities to join her on the front lines.
“Hopefully, when they see me and hear me speak and feel my energy that will make them say, ‘You know what: Who am I afraid of? What am I afraid of?’” she added.
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Minaj has long supported Trump, 79, since he took office for a nonconsecutive second term 2024, telling TIME that she was disappointed by former president Barack Obama’s own term as president and had been frustrated that Black performers were often expected to vote for democratic candidates.
“I just saw so many videos of Black men saying that they didn’t like the way they felt about that speech that Obama gave,” she recalled, referring to Obama’s 2024 speech campaigning for Kamala Harris to be elected POTUS. “They felt like they weren’t being listened to.”
As Minaj started exploring Trump’s policies, she initially opted against publicizing her political affiliations.
“I felt that way already about him, just that I didn’t dare act like that publicly,” she said. “It’s been ingrained in everyone’s brain in the music business that we are supposed to be a Democratic family. I just knew they would not like me supporting Trump.”
Minaj had a change of heart in 2025 after her home was the subject of multiple alleged swatting attacks, where congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna lent support.
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“I was shocked. I’d never seen anyone in politics treat me that way,” Minaj said of Luna, 37. “That’s what made me say that I don’t care to keep this a secret anymore.”
Minaj has since shared her perspectives at the UN, a Turning Point USA event and even met with Trump himself.
“I am probably the President’s No. 1 fan,” she stated during a January speech. “And that’s not going to change.”
Minaj is also willing to support Trump’s administration in the upcoming midterm elections.
“I’ll do whatever it is,” she told TIME, before briefly sharing a personal update about her music comeback. “I’ve never felt happier. I’ve never felt better. When you can be yourself, you’re happier.”
