In the last few weeks, rapper Nicki Minaj has taken a public stance supporting prominent members of the Republican Party, making appearances with political groups such as Turning Point USA and endorsing President Donald Trump’s tax-advantaged savings accounts.

Minaj is most famous for her bright style, upbeat music and witty lyricism. This gained her much respect from the music industry, with many even referring to Minaj as “The Queen of Rap.” Many of her fans have been shocked by her recent support of right-wing conservatism and feel like they can no longer call themselves “Barbz.” Minaj’s rightward turn has generated a lot of online conversation, which has spilled onto Allegheny’s campus.

Her recent statements and support for Trump stand in contrast to attitudes she has voiced in the past about her political beliefs, including about gender and sexuality. For example, in the past, Minaj associated herself with LGBTQ+ media, such as her appearance on the season 12 premiere of “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” which aired in February 2020. In 2010, she also told MTV news, “I would encourage my gay fans to be fighters, and to be brave.”
But recently, Minaj has made different comments about the same topic. In December 2025, Minaj was a featured guest at an event hosted by TPUSA, an organization that describes its mission as being to “identify, educate, train, and organize students to promote the principles of fiscal responsibility, free markets, and limited government,” according to its website. At one point, while sitting on stage beside Erika Kirk — who took over as the CEO of TPUSA after her husband was shot and killed in September 2025 — Minaj made a statement that drew widespread attention.

“Boys, be boys, be boys,” Minaj said. “It’s okay, be boys. There’s nothing wrong with being a boy. How about that? How powerful is that? How profound is that? Boys will be boys and there’s nothing wrong with that.”

The soundbite ignited conversation across social media platforms, especially on X, formerly known as Twitter. X user @gutzngoree said, “if you’re born a boy, be a boy says nicki minaj as her husband and brother are predators and can’t even be around boys while she based her entire career from the queer community.” Another user, @MrYGuy2, defended Minaj’s statement, commenting, “So apparently it’s not ok for young boys to feel comfortable being boys and growing up to be men now?”

In addition to her visit to TPUSA’s AmericaFest, Minaj also joined Trump on the stage at Carnegie Mellon University during the launch of his investment program, Trump Accounts. Trump says the program is an effort to combat a rising affordability crisis by granting parents $1,000 if they open an account for a newborn child. Until the child is 18 years old, private law firms would invest the money into the stock market. Then the child would be granted access to the money when they become a legal adult.

“I am probably the president’s number one fan, and that’s not going to change,” Minaj said while on stage with Trump at the event. “The hate or what people have to say does not affect me at all, it actually motivates me to support him more, and it’s going to motivate all of us to support him more. We’re not going to let them get away with bullying him, and, you know, the smear campaigns, it’s not going to work. Okay. He has a lot of force behind him, and God is protecting him. Amen.”

For Zoe Williams, ’29, who majors in political science, Minaj’s recent political stance is disheartening.

“I think that it is disappointing to see a woman in a male-dominated industry go into such an easy grift to concede a point she was never needed to concede on,” Williams said. “To go to people that have oppressed both her as a woman and her as a person of color for many years. And it’s disappointing to see an artist that I loved so much support something that I disagree with so feverishly.”

Other artists, such as Kanye West, have also in years past surprised fans with what appear to be suddenly conservative views. West, for example, showed his support for Trump on “Saturday Night Live” in 2018 and received similar backlash to what Minaj is experiencing now.

“I think, like Kanye, there is a growing trend of great musicians ruining their art by affiliating themselves with things that I cannot stand for,” Williams said.

Logan Lee, ’26, agreed that Minaj turned too quickly on groups that helped build her fame.

“While I respect that Nicki Minaj, like anyone else, is entitled to her own political opinions, I don’t agree with her recent support of Donald Trump,” Lee said.

“Nicki’s career was built largely on the support of marginalized communities, particularly Black women and LGBTQ+ fans,” Lee continued, “and many of Trump-era policies and rhetoric have been directly harmful to those same communities.”

Because of that, Lee added, Minaj’s political alignment feels disconnected from the lived experiences of much of her audience.

“Political disagreement is inevitable,” Lee said, “but public figures should also be aware of how their platforms and endorsements can impact the communities that helped elevate them.”

Nickel Spartz, ’26, sees Minaj’s vocal support for political issues as part of a broader trend.

“I think, with the polarization of the current American society, a lot of people in the spotlight, celebrities, are finding it more and more necessary to take a stance,” Spartz said.

For Spartz, it is important that listeners take an artist’s perspectives in account when choosing whether to support them.

“I have removed her music from my playlist,” Spartz said. “I personally am an astonished believer that when an artist comes out in support of political beliefs and values I can’t get behind, I understand that my listening to that supports them and grows them as an artist, so I have taken a step back from interacting with Nicki Minaj’s music.”

This decision stems from Spartz’s belief that all art is political.

“Art is a form of self expression,” Spartz said, “and self expression ultimately goes back to core values, core beliefs, and so art and music itself will always be political because it is an outlet for our true beliefs.”