Fireworks lit up the stage and the crowd roared as pop star Nicki Minaj walked out arm-in-arm with Erica Kirk on Sunday in a surprise appearance at the annual Turning Point USA convention in Phoenix.
“I love this woman; she’s an amazing woman,” said Kirk, the widow of Charlie Kirk, who led a right-wing student organization until he was killed in September. “Words are words, but I know her heart.”
Minaj, who has surprised some fans in recent months by supporting the MAGA movement, praised President Trump and mocked California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
“I have the utmost respect and admiration for our president,” Minaj said. “I don't know if he knows it, but he gave a lot of people hope that there was a chance to beat the bad guys, win and do it with their heads held high.”
Minaj then read some of her previous social media posts mocking Newsom, calling him a “Newscam” and a “Gavi-poo.”
“Imagine being a guy who wants to see trans kids, haha, not even a trans adult would run for it,” she said. “Normal adults wake up and think they want healthy, safe and happy children, not Gav.”
Minaj then encouraged boys to “be boys.”
“There's nothing wrong with being a boy,” she said. “How about it? How powerful is it? How deep is it? Boys will be boys and there's nothing wrong with that.”
Minaj praised Turning Point USA, saying the organization encourages youth to connect with God.
“It’s missing in our media, in our everyday conversations,” she said. “Christians are persecuted right here in our country in many ways.”
Minaj came to the attention of the Trump administration in November when she publicly supported the president's statements that Christians are persecuted in Nigeria, a claim the Nigerian government disputes.
