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Trinidadian rapper Nicki Minaj is partnering with the Trump administration to deliver a speech at the United Nations.
Rapper Minaj is probably most known for her hit songs “Super Bass”, “Starships” and “Anaconda”. But now, the US-based star will work with the White House in order to highlight claims of the persecution of Christians in Nigeria.
The news was confirmed by US ambassador to the UN, Michael Waltz, who wrote in a post on X/Twitter that Minaj is “not only arguably the greatest female recording artist, but also a principled individual who refuses to remain silent in the face of injustice”.
He continued: “I’m grateful she’s leveraging her massive platform to spotlight the atrocities against Christians in Nigeria, and I look forward to standing with her as we discuss the steps the president and his administration are taking to end the persecution of our Christian brothers and sisters,” he added.
When will Minaj be speaking at the UN?
Minaj will deliver a speech at the UN headquarters in New York City today (18 November), with the collaboration organised by Trump adviser Alex Bruesewitz.
The rapper confirmed the news in a post on X/Twitter in which she referenced her fanbase known as “the Barbz”.
“Ambassador, I am so grateful to be entrusted with an opportunity of this magnitude. I do not take it for granted. It means more than you know,” Minaj wrote.
She continued: “The Barbz and I will never stand down in the face of injustice. We’ve been given our influence by God. There must be a bigger purpose.”
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What will she talk about?
Minaj is there to talk about the alleged persecution of Christians in Nigeria. The speech will come just days after Minaj supported a post by Trump on Truth Social in which he criticised the Nigerian government for failing to stop Christian attacks.
Speaking to reporters on Air Force One in early November, Trump claimed: “They’re killing the Christians and killing them in very large numbers. We're not going to allow that to happen.”
Trump has been pressured by conservative Christian groups to categorise Nigeria as a “country of particular concern”, which he duly did on 31 October, because of the alleged persecution.
He also threatened to send US troops to Nigeria, which he labelled a “now disgraced country”, with “guns-a-blazing”.
In his Truth social post, he wrote: “If we attack, it will be fast, vicious, and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attack [sic] our CHERISHED Christians!”
Responding to Trump’s comments about the situation, Minaj wrote, “Reading this made me feel a deep sense of gratitude. We live in a country where we can freely worship God … Thank you to the president & his team for taking this seriously. God bless every persecuted Christian.” Her response split her fanbase.
Meanwhile, Nigeria’s president, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, said, “Nigeria is a democracy with constitutional guarantees of religious liberty”.
Nigeria does not have an official religion and is roughly split evenly between Christianity and Islam.
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