After the latest White House press secretary, Katie Zacharia, exited the position after just days, President Donald Trump is still searching for someone to take on the role. As the position remains vacant, there are rumors that rapper Nicki Minaj could be leading briefings soon.
TMZ reported Sunday that Minaj (who was born Onika Tanya Maraj in Trinidad and Tobago) has received “informal nominations” from White House staffers. It noted that White House Communications Director Steven Cheung hinted about it in an X post featuring video of Minaj aboard Air Force One.
In an X comment on the TMZ story about Minaj possibly becoming press secretary, California Gov. Gavin Newsom said: “We can only pray.” Newsom, a Democrat, often ranks high on the list of possible 2028 presidential contenders in polls.
Earlier this year, Minaj said of Newsom in an X post: “His way of bonding with black ppl is to tell them how stupid he is & that he can’t read.” Newsom has been open about his struggles with dyslexia and about how he had a low SAT score.
While Cheung posted about Minaj possibly getting a position in the Trump administration, the president himself also praised the rapper over the weekend. People magazine reported that he complimented her body when speaking at a Michigan rally.
“I looked at one hell of a beautiful a** before – Nicki Minaj,” Trump said. “That’s hard to miss.”
Minaj – who is supported by a loyal fanbase called “Barbz” – surprised many of her fans when she announced her support for Trump, a Republican. She has also courted controversy, including fights with other female rappers. Snopes noted that Minaj’s citizenship status is unknown and the BBC reported in 2022 that her husband, was sentenced to one year of house arrest after failing to register as a sex offender for a 1995 attempted rape conviction.
This week, Minaj went after another Democratic governor. She called New York Gov. Kathy Hochul “an evil woman” in an X post.
“I think she should ought to get outside and get offline a little more. And stop going to Trump rallies because it's poisoning your mind,” Hochul said when asked about the post during a campaign stop in Albany, according to ABC News.
Zacharia, who replaced former White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, had a short tenure of just days in the role earlier this month. She “transitioned” out of it after it was revealed that Zacharia did not pass the bar exam but marketed herself as a lawyer and after a much-criticized performance during her first press briefing. Zacharia did graduate with a law degree from Pepperdine University.
Since leaving the White House, Zacharia was accused of sounding like a “robot” during an interview with British broadcaster Piers Morgan. During an appearance on Newsmax this week, Zacharia said the media and “all of Washington,” were the reasons why she left the job so quickly.
