Rapper Nicki Minaj had quite the awkward moment at Turning Point USA's AmericaFest over the weekend after she attempted to compliment Vice President JD Vance by calling him an "assassin" before realizing her error.
That's a significant blunder from the newly-minted MAGA performer, considering she said these words while talking to Turning Point USA CEO Erika Kirk, whose husband, far-right activist Charlie Kirk, was assassinated at a college event in September.
Minaj was asked by Erika Kirk to share a message to the young men in the audience, which Minaj took as an opportunity to attack California Governor Gavin Newsom, whom she referred to as "Newscum," employing a derogatory nickname popularized by President Donald Trump.
Then, she said:
“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.”
Minaj soon realized what she'd said and cringed at herself openly—but Erika Kirk defended her to the audience, saying:
“Trust me, there is nothing new under the sun that I have not heard. So you’re fine. I love you."
“You have to laugh about it. Truly, I have been called every single thing, and you know what, God is so good, you let it roll right off your back.”
“And that's what's so beautiful about this moment because if the internet wants to clip it, who cares. I love this woman. She’s an amazing woman … words are words, but I know her heart. It doesn’t even matter.”
You can watch what happened in the video below.
Still, that didn't stop people from pointing just how painfully awkward the moment was.
Minaj later recovered from her faux-pas and expressed her complete “respect and admiration” for “the handsome, dashing” President Trump in a moment of unabashed flattery.
Minaj also declared conservatives "the cool kids," saying she doesn't think about any backlash she's faced since shifting to the far-right. She claimed leftists are actually the problem, saying "the other people, they’re the ones who are disgruntled, but really they’re just disgruntled with themselves.”
Oddly, Minaj claimed that Trump has "given so many people hope that there’s a chance to beat the bad guys and to win and to do it with your head held high and your integrity intact."
She must not have heard about a little something called the Epstein files... or anything else, for that matter.
