Lily Jackson ‘28, Feature Editor
Growing up, numerous teenage girls and boys would consider themselves a Barb: a term coined by rapper and singer, Nicki Minaj. Minaj is a Trinidadian artist famously known across the pop and rap genres for her catchy beats and entertaining lyrics. Additionally, Minaj gained a lot of traction during 2010 following her feature on Kanye West’s song “Monster.” Subsequent to her breakout verse in Kanye’s song, she released “Super Bass” and gained millions of fans worldwide. Another reason she gathered such a large and supportive fanbase was her warmth towards minorities and people with different sexual orientations.
During 2012, Minaj showed support for President Obama and was open about her liberal views. She even called President Donald Trump “hilarious” and was brazenly democratic. In the early 2000s she would often encourage fans to “be yourself” and “love yourself.” Unfortunately, as of late, Minaj has largely shifted from her previous positive, inclusive mindset towards a more conservative viewpoint.
Contrary to her forgoing 2010 self, Minaj has converted to conservatism, an act nobody could have predicted. In October 2025, Minaj made her first public alignment with the Trump family by reposting a video of Kai Trump—the president’s granddaughter—dancing to one of her songs. Many fans were concerned that hateful rhetoric would follow, and these concerns were later validated.
Following her support of members of the Trump family, in November 2025, Minaj publicly backed Donald Trump’s policies for the first time. She boasted and supported a social media post Trump made regarding Christians in Nigeria. At this time Minaj also participated in public feuds on social media with Democratic Governor of California, Gavin Newsom. The root of her disagreements and problems with Newsom were in regards to his support of transgender rights.
Following her foreshadowing of later conservatism, in early December 2025 Minaj posted to social media, “The [JD] Vance > The Gav Nots,” showing her outstanding support of Vice President Vance. Later on, at a Turning Point USA (TPUSA) show, Minaj made a surprise appearance alongside Erika Kirk, the wife of late political commentator Charlie Kirk. At this show Minaj showed endless amounts of praise towards President Trump, and declared herself “his biggest fan.” Following her appearance at the TPUSA event, Minaj deactivated her Instagram account. Many (previous) fans grew angry and took to social media with questions of what caused this dramatic shift in Minaj’s behavior. A woman that previously supported inclusivity, even stating in 2010 that she would never “jump on the bandwagon” of supporting President Trump because of his lack of empathy, was now shocking the media with her staunch support of him.
So far in 2026, Minaj was seen with Trump allies and reported to back and support many initiatives set in place by President Trump. Minaj has been very active on social media, voicing her opinions on controversial topics. Her conservative and scarily negative approach to social issues has contributed to the loss of around 10 million Instagram followers.
Many long-time fans have been saddened by Minaj’s actions and involvement with infamous American conservatives. Her abrupt switch has shocked people globally, specifically in her home country of Trinidad. Sadly, unanticipated switches to more hateful, conservative views is not exclusive to Minaj. Although many are dumbfounded by Minaj’s recent appearances and alignments with conservatives, her previous political comments have foreshadowed this indignant switch.
Lyon Life 