- Minaj mistakenly calls Vance ‘the assassin’ at TPUSA event.
- Vance responds by acknowledging Minaj’s unity message, no bad blood.
- Minaj expresses admiration for Trump, says she’s ‘tired of being pushed around’.
JD Vance is finally responding after Nicki Minaj made an awkward onstage flub at the TPUSA summit over the weekend — mistakenly calling him “the assassin” — and rather than firing back, the vice president opted for praise of his new MAGA mate.
On Monday morning, Vance took to X and began by referencing Minaj’s remarks about empowering young Black girls without diminishing young blonde girls, signaling that he understood her broader point was centered on unity.
He went on to reflect on how modern politics has fueled a “zero sum” mindset, blaming influential forces that benefit from sowing division. Vance even tagged Minaj directly, noting that she rejects that way of thinking — making it clear there’s no bad blood between the two.
“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,” he wrote. “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.”
Minaj appeared at the Phoenix convention on Sunday, Dec. 21, closing out the event alongside Erika Kirk. The two walked onstage holding hands before sitting down for a wide-ranging discussion that touched on politics, faith, and other topics.
The 43-year-old rapper raised eyebrows when she voiced her admiration for President Donald Trump and his administration. Addressing the audience, she said, “Dear young men, you have amazing role models, like our handsome, dashing president. And you have amazing role models like the assassin, JD Vance, our vice president.”
Almost immediately, Minaj appeared to realize her mistake. She froze, went quiet for a noticeable moment, and covered her mouth with her hand in apparent shock.
Erika, 37, handled the moment with ease, reassuring Minaj by saying, “Trust me, there’s nothing new under the sun that I have not heard.”
After another pause, Minaj turned emotional and told her, “I love you.”
Erika responded warmly, adding, “You have to laugh about it. Truly, I have been called every single thing. And you know what? God is so good.”
Erika became CEO of Turning Point USA following the death of her husband, Charlie Kirk, who was shot and killed during a TPUSA event at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10. He was 31.
For some, Minaj’s presence at a conservative gathering came as a surprise, but the artist has been increasingly open about her support for Trump and his administration in recent months.
“I have the utmost respect and admiration for our president,” she told Erika. “I don’t know if he even knows this, but he’s given so many people hope.”
Explaining why she decided to back Trump, Minaj said she “just got tired of being pushed around.”
“I have something inside of me that’s stronger than what’s out there. So when you’ve had enough, you realize, ‘Wait a minute, 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 not going to back down ever again,” she continued.
