Overview
- Minaj appeared onstage at TPUSA’s AmericaFest in Phoenix on Dec. 21, praised President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance, and stumbled by calling Vance “the assassin” before interviewer Erika Kirk reassured her.
- By Dec. 24–25, her official Instagram page was inactive and displayed “Sorry, this page isn’t available,” with outlets noting she has temporarily deactivated the account in the past.
- Widely shared claims that she lost 10 million followers are unsupported, as public tracking shows a shift from about 227.5 million in November to roughly 223.8 million in December, in line with typical fluctuations for large accounts.
- Backlash in music circles intensified, with Joe Budden saying on his podcast that he is done supporting Minaj because of the event and its messaging.
- Support from the right continued, with Amber Rose defending her and JD Vance amplifying her point about affirming one group without putting down another, set against TPUSA’s leadership transition under Erika Kirk after Charlie Kirk’s assassination.