"She owned it": Internet reacts after Nicki Minaj calls Trump "handsome dashing" & JD Vance "assassin" during chat with Erika Kirk

Nicki Minaj sparked a wave of online reactions after a surprise onstage conversation with Erika Kirk at Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest in Phoenix over the weekend. The rapper joined Kirk, the widow of late TPUSA founder Charlie Kirk and the group’s CEO, for a Q&A that quickly went viral for Minaj’s unfiltered praise of President Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance.

During the exchange, Nicki Minaj reportedly described President Trump in admiring terms and, in a separate moment, referred to Vance as an “assassin,” a remark that drew immediate attention and confusion online. According to the report by Reuters on December 22, 2025, Erika Kirk stepped in quickly to clarify the "verbal flubb."

Clips from the event circulated widely across social media, seemingly prompting debate over whether the phrasing was intentional, metaphorical, or simply a verbal misstep.

As reactions piled up, many commenters focused on Minaj’s unapologetic delivery, with some saying she “owned it.”

Many commentators also called out the awkwardness of the moment.

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More about what Nicki Minaj said onstage at AmericaFest

According to the report by the Rolling Stone on December 21, 2025, Nicki Minaj appeared alongside Kirk at AmericaFest to her song Super Bass, greeting the crowd before launching into a freewheeling discussion that included sharp criticism of California Governor Gavin Newsom and enthusiastic praise for President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance.

Speaking of the President, Nicki Minaj reportedly said,

"I have the utmost respect and admiration for our president. He has, I don’t know if he even knows this, but he’s 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"

Erika Kirk and Nicki Minaj high-five during an interview on the final day of Turning Point USA's annual AmericaFest conference at the Phoenix Convention Center on December 21, 2025 in Phoenix, Arizona. Minaj spoke about her frustrations with California Governor Gavin Newsom, and about why she has embraced the conservative movement. (Image via Getty)

According to the Rolling Stone, Nicki Minaj said she had “the utmost respect and admiration” for the president and described both Trump and Vance as leaders she could “relate to” and who were “one of us,” arguing they remained connected to ordinary Americans. The rapper said,

"I can relate to them when I hear them speak, I know that they’re one of us. They haven’t lost touch of the world. You know, they’re still connected to the world. And what’s happening in the world, with the younger people and older people, with the richer people and not so rich people, they have the ability to still connect and be real and make us feel proud to be American."

The rapper also echoed Trump’s derogatory nickname for California Governor Gavin Newsom and read aloud several of her recent tweets attacking the governor’s positions. When Erika Kirk asked Nicki Minaj to tell Newsom what she wanted to say on Sunday at AmericaFest. Minaj called him "Newscum," the derogatory term used by President Trump and said,

“We don’t have a problem cleaning up the scum if we have to, please tread lightly, tat’s what I’d say to Gavie poo.”

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Reuters reported that the “assassin” remark prompted visible discomfort onstage, with Erika Kirk stepping in to reassure Minaj and move the conversation forward. The report noted that the phrasing appeared unintentional and was not framed as a literal accusation.

Still, the clip fueled rapid online debate, with critics questioning Minaj’s political alignment and supporters dismissing the moment as exaggerated language taken out of context.

Edited by Devangee