Fresh off her appearance at the United Nations, where she spoke eloquently about the persecution of Christians in Nigeria, pop star Nicki Minaj made a surprise appearance at this weekend’s Turning Point USA convention in Phoenix, leaving no doubt about where her politics lie. Of Donald Trump and J.D. Vance, she said, “This administration is full of people with heart and soul, and they make me proud of them. I love both of them. They’re both powerful men. Smart, strong, all of that. But both of them have a very uncanny ability to be someone that you relate to.”
The Turning Point conference, the first one since Charlie Kirk’s assassination, made enough news that you could call it “Talking Point.” Ben Shapiro and Tucker Carlson sniped at each other. Erika Kirk appeared onstage surrounded by exploding sparklers. But all the pundits and politicians withered by comparison with someone who has an actual following. Apologies to Deuce Bigalow himself, Adam Sandler sidekick Rob Schneider, but that someone is Minaj, whose “Barbz” total 24 million on Instagram. The influence comes baked into the cake.
“What was the turning point?” Minaj said when Erika Kirk asked her why she was onstage at Turning Point instead of at whatever the nonexistent Democratic liberal equivalent of it is, “Well, I just got tired of being pushed around. Sometimes you just get tired of it and then you realize, ‘Wait a minute…'”
This isn’t some Kanye West-style “Hitler is great” Republican turn. Minaj is essentially sane. In her own odd Jesus-loving way, she fits right into the MAGA coalition. Speaking at Talking Point, she looked directly at the audience and said, “I’m proud of you guys. To be so young, for you guys that are in college, to be so young and to care this much so early in your life, it tells us how smart you are, and it tells us that there’s hope for our future. So God bless you. Congratulations, you guys. You’re amazing.”
The multitude in the arena, mostly young white men in white baseball caps, stood up, cheered and applauded. “Congratulations!” Minaj said. “You guys are amazing. Know it. Feel it. Yes, yes. Proudly. Be it proudly. Be who you are proudly.”
The crowd roared. She was fly as hell. She had them thirsty. Track and field.
“Amen,” said Erika Kirk.
This morning, Vice-President J.D. Vance posted on X: “Nicki Minaj said something at Amfest that was really profound. I’m paraphrasing, but she said ‘just because I want little black girls to think they’re beautiful doesn’t mean I need to put down little girls with blonde hair and blue eyes…We all got wrapped up over the last few years in zero sum thinking. This was because the people who think they rule the world pit us against one another. @NICKIMINAJ rejects that. We all should.” And all that even though Minaj accidentally said to the crowd at TPUSA, “you have amazing role models like the assassin, JD Vance, our vice president.” All is forgiven.
An editor emailed that Tweet to me this morning with the accompanying words “Vance/Minaj 2028.” Erika Kirk herself said this week that “We are going to get my husband’s friend JD Vance elected for 48 in the most resounding way possible.”
But I think everyone has the ticket reversed. To the California governor and her potential opponent in the 2028 election, Minaj said, “Don’t be New-scum… It only gets worse from here for you, buddy. It’s the end of the road for you, my love. Get on the nearest jet ski and let that beautiful hair blow in the wind.”
He could be King. But watch the Queen conquer.
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