Nicki Minaj found herself the subject of a presidential joke this weekend, and she answered it without saying much at all.
During Saturday’s rescheduled White House Correspondents’ Dinner, President Trump revisited the chaos of an earlier gala that was cut short after a gunman opened fire, joking that when attendees were told to get down, Minaj responded by twerking instead, framing her as the only person in the room who misunderstood the moment. The remark quickly circulated online, drawing significant attention within days.
Minaj’s Response
Rather than issue a statement, Minaj posted an image on X of Chucky, the horror film doll, wearing a pink wig and grinning. She captioned it with a note about how she plans to look at the president the next time she sees him. The post spread almost as fast as the joke that prompted it, with many treating the reply as a sharp, low key way of pushing back without engaging in a longer exchange.
An Unusual Political Alliance
The joke landed in an unusual context given Minaj’s recent political turn. Over the past several months, she has become one of Trump’s more visible celebrity supporters, a shift from the criticism she directed at his immigration policies during his first term. Earlier this month, Trump praised her during a Rose Garden luncheon tied to the launch of Trump Accounts, calling her a friend of common sense and inviting her to stand for applause. Minaj later shared photos from an Oval Office visit, referring to herself as White House Barbie and calling Trump her favorite president.
In January, she attended the Trump Accounts Summit and described herself as probably the president’s number one fan. She also attended a Kennedy Center screening of a documentary about First Lady Melania Trump that same month. In a Time interview published in May, Minaj said she had quietly supported Trump for years before speaking publicly, explaining that she felt someone needed to absorb the initial backlash so other entertainers who share similar views might feel freer to speak up.
How I’ll be looking @ the President next time I see him. https://t.co/dVw3CpCqfP pic.twitter.com/jEUOdOjG3p
— Nicki Minaj (@NICKIMINAJ) July 25, 2026
Some Pushback on the Joke Itself
Reaction to Trump’s joke was not entirely favorable. Some critics online argued that the setup echoed a much older comedic structure historically associated with racially charged humor, and that using Minaj as its centerpiece felt tone deaf given that history. Comedian Loni Love was among those who raised the comparison publicly, drawing renewed attention to the joke’s framing beyond just its subject matter.
The dinner itself carried added weight given the shooting earlier this year, an incident that shook attendees and left a lasting mark on the annual event. Trump was not present at the original gathering in his first term, having boycotted the dinner throughout that presidency, and Saturday’s rescheduled version reportedly skipped the usual red carpet and drew fewer celebrities than the spring event.
Where Things Stand
Minaj was not in attendance at Saturday’s dinner. Neither her team nor the White House has issued further comment beyond what has already circulated publicly. For now, her wig clad Chucky photo has become the more talked about image to come out of the exchange, overshadowing the joke that sparked it in the first place.
