Rapper and now outspoken Donald Trump supporter Nicki Minaj has sparked widespread backlash after claiming that LGBTQ+ people are beginning to “see through” the US Democratic Party.
The 43-year-old “Super Bass” performer took to X on Sunday, 1 February, urging queer people to “wake up” and stop supporting Democrats — despite the party’s long-standing backing of LGBTQ+ rights.
Minaj opened her online rant by alleging, without evidence, that Democrats are “flying in immigrants to vote” for them because they can “no longer get the African American vote by default”.
In subsequent posts, she turned her attention to Christians, branding anyone who votes Democrat a “fool” and accusing the party of having “no morals” or “integrity”.
“They’re showing people that it’s ok to disrupt a church during worship,” she wrote, apparently referring to a recent anti-ICE protest that interrupted a church service in Minnesota.
Don Lemon’s arrest is referenced
Minaj’s comments came days after gay journalist Don Lemon was arrested while covering the protest. Lemon was charged with conspiracy against religious freedom and interfering with the exercise of religious worship before being released from custody. He is due to appear in court in Minneapolis on 9 February.
Minaj had previously called for Lemon’s arrest, using a homophobic slur in the process.
“It’s not enough for them to have an opinion; they’ve escalated to physical intrusion of places of worship,” Minaj continued. “The demons inside of them are so bothered. All the time.”
Claims about the LGBTQ+ vote
In another post, Minaj claimed that queer voters are abandoning the Democratic Party.
“The LGBT has also started seeing through the veil & it has them p***ed off,” she wrote.
“Why are they getting the gay vote by default?!?!!! They’ve moved on from the gay vote to flying in ppl to vote for them. No loyalty to ANYONE.”
She added that Democrats — whom she referred to as “demoncrats” — should “not just get” the LGBTQ+ vote, again urging queer people to “wake up”.
Minaj’s remarks were met with swift criticism online. New York drag performer Adriana Trenta responded: “Keep our community out of your mouth.”
Others echoed similar sentiments, with one user writing: “The current Trump administration is anti-LGBTQ+ — why would queer Americans vote Republican?”
Increasing alignment with Trump
In recent months, Minaj has increasingly aligned herself with right-wing rhetoric. Last week, she met Donald Trump at the White House, publicly declaring herself his “number one fan”.
In December, during a conversation with Erika Kirk, the widow of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, Minaj described Trump supporters as the “cool kids”.
During the Grammy Awards on Sunday night, host Trevor Noah joked that Minaj was absent because she was “still at the White House”. Minaj responded online by mocking Noah’s sexuality, claiming he “refuses to come out the closet”.
She also targeted model Chrissy Teigen, falsely claiming Teigen “has/had” male genitalia after she was seen making a dismissive gesture during Noah’s monologue.
Minaj has also been criticised for mocking Gavin Newsom over his support for transgender youth. Last year, she reshared a White House video set to her song “Va Va Vroom” celebrating efforts to ban transgender women from women’s sports.
As backlash continues, critics argue Minaj’s comments reflect a broader shift toward anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric — even as she claims to speak on behalf of the queer community.
