President Donald Trump has praised rapper Nicki Minaj during a Black History Month reception hosted at the White House, describing her as “so beautiful” and highlighting her appearance.
Speaking during the event, Trump expressed his love for Minaj, he said “I love Nicki Minaj, she was here a couple of weeks ago, she is so beautiful, her skin is so beautiful. Her nails are long. I said, ‘Nicki, are they real?’ She said she didn’t want to get into that,” he said.
The comment comes after a series of public appearances showing Minaj’s support for Trump. She has described herself as a loyal fan of the president.
During her appearance at the Trump Accounts Summit in Washington, D.C., Minaj was also presented with a symbolic “gold card” by President Trump.
The card is meant to recognise distinguished guests and grant special access to select presidential events. The gold card is considered a prestigious token of honour, reserved for high-profile visitors, and is seen as a sign of personal recognition by the president.
The rapper’s political connections became a topic of discussion during the Grammy Awards, held on February 1 at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. Comedian Trevor Noah, hosting the ceremony made a pointed joke about Minaj in his opening monologue.
Noah addressed her absence from the ceremony, saying she was “still at the White House with Donald Trump discussing very important issues.” The joke, referencing both her political ties and her absence from the Grammys.
The timing of Noah’s jab followed the ongoing discussion about Minaj’s relationship with the Grammys.
Despite being one of the most commercially successful female rappers in music history, Minaj has never won a Grammy. She has received 12 nominations across multiple categories, including the Best Rap Performance and Best Hip-Hop Song categories, but has yet to secure a win.
Her absence from the ceremony this year, combined with her public support for Trump, made her a natural target for Noah’s monologue.
Trump’s comment about Nicki Minaj is coming days after Trump posted a video online portraying former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama in a racially insensitive manner.
The video, which was widely condemned, was deleted shortly afterward, but Trump insisted he had nothing to apologise for.
