Nicki Minaj Speaks At Turning Point USA's AmericaFest

On Sunday (December 21), rapper Nicki Miinaj surprised the crowd gathered at AmericaFest, the annual convention for the conservative group Turning Point USA in Phoenix, Arizona. She was greeted by Erika Kirk, the widow of former TPUSA CEO Charlie Kirk, who was assassinated at an event on a college campus in Utah in September. 

The beginning of their onstage conversation focused on the Pink Friday rapper’s recent war of words against California Governor Gavin Newsom, a prominent figure in the Democratic Party. Kirk asked her to read those recent posts on X, formerly Twitter attacking the governor. “Dear Newscum: we don’t have a problem cleaning up the scum if we have to. Please try love. That’s what I would say to Gabby Poo,” Minaj replied when asked what she’d say to Newsom face-to-face.

There was one major flub on Nicki Minaj’s part, which pointed back to Charlie Kirk’s death as she was heaping praise on President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance. “See, there, young men, you have amazing role models like our handsome, dashing president. And you have amazing role models like the assassin JD Vance, our vice president, and when I say that…” she said, before realizing her error. 

Erika Kirk smoothed over the situation, and the two would go on to talk about their shared indifference towards critics online, with Minaj declaring “we’re the cool kids” to applause from the crowd. “I literally tell them, stay mad. Stay mad, because we are going to stay joyful, and peaceful, and iconic, and smart. Yeah, we’re going to stay thinkers in a world that doesn’t want us to think,” she added.

Nicki Minaj, who is originally from Trinidad and Tobago before coming to the United States when she was five, also praised Trump for his comments on Christians in Nigeria. “We won’t be silenced ever again. We will speak up for Christians wherever they are in this world,” Minaj said. She also spoke at length about encouraging the youth to become more aligned with God, referencing her own journey. 

Nicki Minaj’s appearance follows more public interactions with right-wing politicians. She recently spoke at a United Nations event concerning the claims of Christians being attacked in Nigeria, and had also interacted with Congresswoman Anna Paulina Lima in posts on X over alleged threats from TDE affiliate MackWop over the summer.