Nicki Minaj praises ‘handsome’ Donald Trump at Turning Point USA event – National

Rapper Nicki Minaj made a surprise appearance at Turning Point USA's AmericaFest convention, where she was interviewed Erica Kirkwidow Charlie Kirk.

Super Bass the rapper and Kirk, 37, walked out hand in hand before sitting down for a chat in Phoenix to close out the first-ever AmericaFest convention on Sunday.

The four-day conference brought together members of the media, conservative activists and Republican Party leaders.

During her time at the event, Minaj, 43, praised the US president. Donald Trump and vice president JD Vancecalling them “role models” for young people.

“This administration is full of people with heart and soul and they make me proud. Our vice president makes me… well, I love them both,” Minaj said. “They both have this very strange ability to be someone you're close to.”

“Dear young people, you have amazing role models like our handsome, dashing president. And you have amazing role models like the killer J.D. Vance, our vice president,” Minaj told the crowd.

She quickly realized the word she was using to praise Vance's political skills—“killer”—and fell silent, covering her mouth as the crowd whispered.

“If the Internet wants to cut it, who cares? I love that woman,” said Erica Kirk, who was widowed when Charlie Kirk was killed in September.. “Believe me, there is nothing new under the sun that I haven’t heard.”

“I love you,” Minaj told Kirk.

Minaj also made fun of the California governor. Gavin Newsomecalling him “Newscum”, a nickname Trump gave him.

When Kirk asked Minaj to give advice to young people, Minaj said, “Don't be a Newscam.”

“For boys: boys, be boys… There's nothing wrong with being a boy. How about this? How powerful is it? How deep is it? Boys will be boys, and there's nothing wrong with that,” she said.

“No matter what you look like, we should try to instill pride in what they look like,” Minaj continued. “I don't need someone with blonde hair and blue eyes to downplay my beauty, because I know my beauty.”

She went on to criticize messages that make any group feel like they're not good enough. “I don't want this to be done to any girl. I want every little girl in the world to know that you are unique, you are beautiful,” Minaj added.

The Grammy-nominated rapper's recent affiliation with the Make America Great Again movement has drawn some interest due to her past criticism of Trump, including in 2018 when she denounced Trump's zero-tolerance immigration policies and called herself an “illegal immigrant.”

On Sunday, Minaj told viewers, “It's okay if you change your mind.”

“I have the utmost respect and admiration for our president,” he said. Starships said the rapper. “I don’t know if he knows it, but he gave hope to so many people.”

Minaj said she was tired of being “pushed around” and said that speaking her mind with different ideas was controversial because “people don't use their minds anymore.”

“There's something inside me that's stronger than what's on the outside. So when you've had enough, you realize, 'Wait, why do I even care about these people and what they think?' Who are they?’ They don’t even know who they are. So I’m not going to back down anymore. I’m never going to back down again,” Minaj said of her decision to support Trump.

Kirk thanked Minaj for her “courage” despite the “backlash” she received from the entertainment industry for expressing support for Trump.

“I didn't notice,” Minaj said. “We don’t even think about them.” Kirk then said, “We don't have time for this. We're too busy building, right?”

“We're the cool kids. The rest of the people are the ones who are still just unhappy. They're mad at themselves,” Minaj said. “In a world that doesn’t want us to think, we will think.”

Trending now

• Canada Post and union finalize preliminary deals on new contracts

• Nine people were killed and several injured in a pub shooting on Sunday morning in South Africa.

In response to some of Minaj's comments, Vance addressed X, writing, “Nicki Minaj said something very profound at Amphest. I'm paraphrasing, but she said, 'Just because I want little black girls to think they're beautiful doesn't mean I have to put down little girls with blonde hair and blue eyes.”

“Over the past few years, we've all fallen into zero-sum thinking. It's because the people who think they run the world are pitting us against each other. @NickiMinaj rejects that. We should all do that,” he added.

Minaj made headlines last month when she performed at a United Nations event hosted by the US following Trump's allegations of persecution of Christians in Nigeria.

Minaj said she wanted to draw attention to the “deadly threat.”

She thanked Trump for his leadership and for calling for urgent action “to protect Christians in Nigeria, combat extremism, and stop violence against those who simply want to exercise their natural right to freedom of religion or belief.”

She spoke at a meeting of the US mission to the United Nations along with US Ambassador Mike Waltz and religious leaders. The event occurred after she responded to Trump's social media post on Nigeria in early November, saying: “No group should ever be persecuted for practicing their religion.”

Minaj vowed to continue speaking out “in the face of injustice” for anyone, anywhere, who is persecuted for their beliefs.

“Unfortunately, this problem is becoming a growing problem not only in Nigeria but in many other countries around the world,” she said.

Minaj said she wanted to make it clear that standing up for Christians in Nigeria does not mean taking sides or dividing people. “It's about bringing people together,” she said, calling Nigeria a “beautiful country with deep religious traditions” that she can't wait to see.

—With files from The Associated Press

Curator's recommendations

• The Best Seasonal Decor Storage Solutions to Help Keep Your Home Organized

• Dermatologist's expertise on LED face masks