By Obinna Uballa
United States President Donald Trump has publicly expressed admiration for American rapper Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty, widely known as Nicki Minaj, complimenting her appearance and recalling their recent encounters at White House events.
Speaking at a Black History Month event in Washington on Wednesday, the 79-year-old Trump lauded the 43-year-old rapper, noting her “beautiful skin” and long acrylic nails.
“How about Nicki Minaj? Do we love Nicki Minaj? I love Nicki Minaj. She was here a couple of weeks ago. She’s so beautiful, her skin’s so beautiful. I said, ‘Nicki, you’re so beautiful.’ Her nails are so long. I asked if they were real; she didn’t want to get into that, but she was amazing,” Trump said in a video that went viral on Thursday.
The remarks follow Nicki Minaj’s recent posts celebrating Presidents’ Day, in which she shared photos of her growing friendship with Trump, captioned simply: “Happy President’s Day.”
The rapper also appeared at the Trump-backed World Liberty Forum on Wednesday, delivering a keynote speech on the panel “Owning the Culture: The Business of Music in a Creator-Led Economy.”
Nicki Minaj first met Trump publicly in January at the Trump Accounts Summit in Washington, where she declared herself the “president’s No. 1 fan.” She emphasized that public opinion would not sway her support, saying, “It actually motivates me to support him more… We’re not going to let them get away with bullying him.”
Her ties with the Trump administration have grown more visible during his second term. Last November, she addressed the United Nations, speaking on the reported persecution of Christians in Nigeria and thanking Trump for “his leadership on the global stage.” U.S. Ambassador to the UN, Mike Waltz, had invited her to raise concerns about religious persecution in Nigeria, where she highlighted the targeting, displacement, and killings of Christian communities.
Responding to Trump’s compliments, Nicki Minaj shared the video on her X page alongside an AI-generated image of a person holding a burning cigarette, signaling her engagement with the viral attention.
