In a highly anticipated podcast appearance, Nicki Minaj dives into the reasons behind her recent engagement with conservative politics, revealing that it wasn't Donald Trump's policies that drew her in but rather the way he's been "treated" by the public. In preview clips shared on X on Monday (February 2nd), she answers questions from podcaster Katie Miller, whose full interview with Minaj will be released on Tuesday. When asked which of Trump's stances in particular motivated her, whether it be on immigration or "religious freedom," Minaj responds, "Religious freedom is something that's very important to me, but if I'm being honest, President Trump...when I saw how he was being treated, over and over and over again, I just couldn't handle it."
"I felt that a lot of the bullying and smear campaigns and all the lying that had been done to me for so many years was happening in real-time to someone else," she continues. "And I didn't think he deserved it."
In another clip posted to X, Minaj elaborates on when she first started paying close attention to Trump's politics. "During the last [presidential] campaign...I saw something and I texted someone I knew right away and said, 'This is a mistake.' And I also said, 'All of this is making me want to get into politics,'" the hitmaker tells Miller, without revealing what it was she saw.
"And then there was something that happened a few months ago that, if I wasn't going to do it before," she continues cryptically, adding when asked for specifics, "I don't want to talk about it."
"I will say, sometimes people can push you so much that they push you all the way into your next calling," Minaj adds with a sly smile. "That's what happened with me."
The Queens spitfire wrote of the latter video, "You guys are going to love this interview, Barbz. Here’s a sneak peek."
The rare podcast interview comes just days after Minaj appeared alongside the POTUS at his Trump Accounts Summit, where the two embraced behind the podium and the musician declared, "I am probably the president's No. 1 fan." Shortly afterward, Minaj revealed on X that Trump had bestowed her with a Trump Gold Card, which requires the holder to make a $1,000,000 contribution plus a $15,000 processing fee, according to its website. The Gold Card also claims to serve as a "visa based upon an individual's ability to provide a substantial benefit to the United States," potentially expediting the Trinidad-born artist's U.S. citizenship.
Both Minaj and Trump were unhappy with the Grammys broadcast that took place afterward on Sunday (February 1st), during which host Trevor Noah mocked their new alliance. Imitating the politician, the comedian theorized that Trump's conversation with Minaj went something like: "Actually, Nicki, I have the biggest a–! I have it. Everybody’s saying it, Nicki. I know they say it’s you, but it’s me! WAP WAP WAP."
The rapper unleashed a series of angry posts on X after the fact, while Trump wrote on Truth Social, "The Grammy Awards are the WORST, virtually unwatchable! CBS is lucky not to have this garbage litter their airwaves any longer."
