Nicki Minaj Is Now on Trump's Tour, and the 'Press Secretary' Joke Is Somehow the Least Weird Part

I genuinely had to read this twice.

Nicki Minaj, Queen of Rap, the woman behind Super Bass, Starships and some of the most iconic verses of the 2010s, was on stage at a Donald Trump rally in Michigan on Sunday. And by Sunday night, Trump's own communications team was joking that she should be the next White House press secretary.

You couldn't script this. Well, you could, but no network would buy it.

What actually happened

Let's separate the facts from the timeline chaos.

• On Sunday, 25 October, Minaj appeared alongside Trump at a campaign rally at McMorran Place in Port Huron, Michigan, part of his tour ahead of the midterm elections.

• White House communications director Steven Cheung posted a video of her on Air Force One praising Trump, with the caption: "Ladies and gentlemen, I think we may have found the new White House Press Secretary!"

• Trump adviser Alex Bruesewitz chimed in with "Hey Barbz, what do we think about this idea??", and the White House's own X account replied with an eyes emoji.

Is she actually getting the job? No. The White House hasn't named anyone. It's a joke, and a pretty effective one, since half the internet spent Sunday night asking "is Nicki Minaj the new press secretary" in all seriousness.

Why there's a press secretary vacancy at all

This is the part that makes it even more surreal. Katie Zacharia took over as White House press secretary on 12 October and, according to reports, was out within about five days, after heavy online mockery over how unprepared she seemed. Former press secretary Karoline Leavitt summed it up bluntly: "The job was obviously not for her."

Leavitt also said Trump was evaluating other candidates. Nobody, as far as we know, had a rapper on that list until Sunday.

The most powerful podium in the world is empty, and the internet's shortlist now includes the woman who rapped "Pound the alarm".

The U-turn is the real story

What makes this funny, and honestly a bit sad, is how far both sides have travelled.

Minaj didn't always sound like this. In 2018 she wrote publicly about coming to the US as an undocumented child, and about how she couldn't imagine being separated from her parents at the age of five. In 2020 she said she was "not gonna jump on the Trump bandwagon", and the reason she gave was exactly that: children being taken from their parents at the border.

Now she's on the bandwagon. Literally on the plane. On Air Force One she's been filmed saying the economy is "exploding because we have a president that understands economics".

And Trump's team? The President's own communications staff are now running Barbz jokes from official accounts while the press secretary's job sits empty. Every season of this show gets more chaotic than the last.

To be fair

People change their minds, and Minaj is allowed to change hers. Her stated reason now is the economy, and plenty of Americans agree with her on that. Supporters will say this is her being independent and refusing to follow the industry line.

But you can't erase your own receipts, and the internet never forgets. The gap between 2020 Nicki and 2026 Nicki is the whole joke, and right now the joke is landing on her.

For a Barbz group chat, it's content. For American politics, it's another sign that the line between a rally and a pop-culture moment has basically disappeared.

Frequently asked questions

Is Nicki Minaj the new White House press secretary?

No. A White House aide joked about it on social media, but the White House has not named her or anyone else to the role.

Why was Nicki Minaj with Donald Trump?

She appeared with Trump at a campaign rally in Port Huron, Michigan, on 25 October 2026, as part of his tour ahead of the midterm elections, and was filmed talking with him on Air Force One.

Who said Nicki Minaj could be press secretary?

White House communications director Steven Cheung posted a video of Minaj praising Trump with the caption: "Ladies and gentlemen, I think we may have found the new White House Press Secretary!"

What has Nicki Minaj said about Trump before?

In 2020 she said she was "not gonna jump on the Trump bandwagon", citing children being separated from their parents at the border. She has since become a public supporter.