Nicki Minaj takes the stage with Trump at a Michigan rally ahead of the midterm elections

A celebrity on stage in Port Huron

Rapper Nicki Minaj joined US President Donald Trump at a Republican campaign rally in Port Huron, Michigan, on October 25, BBC News reports. She traveled to the state aboard Air Force One together with the president. According to the BBC, Minaj said Trump had 'changed the energy of the country' and 'given us a future we can look forward to.' According to euronews, she told the crowd 'We love Trump' and promised to support him 'forever'. In a gold Gucci suit, she led the crowd as it chanted Trump's name and the names of Republican candidates in Michigan, adding: 'We really need all of these beautiful people to be elected, because this is a major turning point for our country.' Trump, introducing her, commented on her appearance and called her smart.

Campaign context and attacks on El-Sayed

The rally took place just over a week before the November 3 midterm elections, which will determine which party controls Congress for the remainder of Trump's presidency. In Michigan, Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed is in a tight race with Republican Mike Rogers; the day before, on Saturday, former President Barack Obama held a rally with the Democrat — one of the first in this cycle. In his Sunday speech, Trump focused on El-Sayed's Muslim faith and background, claiming that he would 'invite jihadists' into America if he won. According to euronews, the president also questioned El-Sayed's loyalty to the United States — accusations the former health official has repeatedly rejected. El-Sayed himself called Trump's statements Islamophobic, noting in a campaign ad that the president 'thinks he can use my name and my faith to distract us from the suffering his policies are causing us at the gas pump, at the grocery store and at the doctor's office.' The BBC previously reported separately on the rise of anti-Muslim rhetoric in Michigan's Senate debates.

Minaj's political U-turn and the press secretary vacancy

The endorsement of Trump marks a notable U-turn for Minaj: in 2020 she criticized his administration's harsh immigration policies, especially the separation of children from their parents at the border, euronews notes. At the same time, the BBC recalls that the rapper, born in Trinidad and Tobago, has called herself Trump's 'number one fan,' although she criticized some of his first-term policies, and previously backed his statements about the persecution of Christians in Nigeria and his 'gold card' — a visa offering residency and a path to US citizenship. Aboard the presidential plane, she filmed a video with an aide, published on X, in which she jokingly interviewed for the position of White House press secretary; according to euronews, a similar video was posted by White House communications director Steven Cheung. The post is vacant: Karoline Leavitt... actually, Katya Zakharova left five days after an unsuccessful public debut.

Why it matters

The appearance of a star of this magnitude a week before the November 3 elections underscores how tight the battle for Congress and for the Michigan Senate seat is, where El-Sayed and Rogers are running 'neck and neck,' according to the BBC. For voters, this means the campaign's final stage is being fought in part through high-profile celebrity events and personal attacks — including disputes over a candidate's faith, which have already become the subject of separate discussion about anti-Muslim rhetoric in the state. In practical terms, the outcome of the Michigan race could affect which party controls Congress for the remainder of the current presidential term.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters