Musician Nicki Minaj urged Americans to “vote red” Saturday during an interview on Fox News with Lara Trump, prompting critics to point out that the Caribbean-born star can’t cast a ballot herself.
“I want you guys to do your research, see what candidates are in your area, and just give it a few minutes or an hour, research them, and then make a decision,” Minaj said. “You guys are so blessed to be able to vote, and you have to, more than ever now, take advantage of that ability. Please — and vote red!”
Minaj quickly cracked up and tossed out a joking “nah,” but Trump wasn't letting her walk it back.
“Amen!” Trump said. “I feel like we can end it there. Great sales pitch to the voters of America! I love it.”
As noted by countless critics, Minaj is not a U.S. citizen, having immigrated to the United States — admittedly as “an illegal immigrant” — from Trinidad and Tobago, a twin-island nation in the Caribbean. Minaj has claimed to have been gifted a Trump Gold Card — the Trump administration initiative that offers pathways to U.S. citizenship for $1 million — but said earlier this year that she is still “finalizing” her “citizenship paperwork.”
Other critics pointed to her husband and brother, Kenneth Petty and Jelani Maraj, respectively. Petty is a registered sex offender, having been convicted of attempted rape in 1995, and also spent “seven years in prison after pleading guilty to manslaughter in 2006,” People reported. Maraj is also a registered sex offender, having been convicted of sexual assault against an 11-year-old girl.
“Nicki Minaj’s husband is a convicted sex offender, and her brother is a pedophile. That’s why she fits in so well with the MAGA crowd,” wrote Jamie Bonkiewicz, a Nebraska-based political activist who received a visit from the U.S. Secret Service over an online post about former White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.
Nicki Minaj message to Young Voters on Midterms: Vote Red. pic.twitter.com/9IALL9eoXy
— Acyn (@Acyn) September 27, 2026
