Nicki Minaj Makes Major Mistake While Praising JD Vance & Erika Kirk's Reaction Is Eyebrow-Raising
Before the 2024 election, there were questions about whether or not rapper-singer Nicki Minaj supported Donald Trump, and now it seems that the answer is yes. Minaj was a surprise guest at AmericaFest, the major Turning Point USA annual event. Turning Point was founded by right-wing political activist Charlie Kirk, and his wife, Erika Kirk, took over as its CEO after his death in September 2025. During her appearance on stage with Erika, Minaj laid on the Trump love, leaving fans disenchanted. But it was Minaj's unexpected description of JD Vance and Erika's reaction that really got people talking.
Minaj was talking about role models for young men, and she referred to Vance as an "assassin." It took her a bit before it dawned on her that she used the word "assassin" while speaking beside Erika, whose husband was killed by a gunman who targeted him. Erika responded with "Trust me, there's nothing new under the sun that I have not heard, so you're fine. I love you. You have to laugh about it."
WATCH — @NICKIMINAJ refers to JD Vance as an "assassin" when talking about what great role models and how handsome he and Trump are 🙃... then realizes she's on stage with Erika Kirk, who tries to save her 😬 pic.twitter.com/4zmeZ3fgg0
— The Tennessee Holler (@TheTNHoller) December 21, 2025
Some were completely baffled by Minaj's slip. One person on X wrote, "Genuinely why in the f*** would she use this word? it's so oddly specific that it makes me think it was intentional lmao." Another posted, "I'm so confused right now. What was Nicki TRYING to say? Honest question here."
Erika Kirk's reaction to Nicki Minaj was just as confusing
Others were confused by how Erika Kirk reacted to Nicki Minaj referring to JD Vance as an assassin. "The weird part of this exchange is Erika's response. She acted like she didn't understand the assassin connotation & likened it to people calling her names online & that's why you have to laugh it off...huh?!" an X user wrote. Others made the point that Minaj had clearly been talking about Vance, so Erika's response didn't really make sense. "And why did Erika even mention being called names when it clearly wasn't aimed at her," read another X post.
Minaj wasn't the only one to make a verbal gaffe at AmericaFest. Erika accidentally said "grift" instead of "grit," and critics pounced. With the two slip-ups together at the same conservative political event, one person posted, "This is starting to look less like a movement and more like a blooper reel." And one person on X summed up the whole situation: "This is so cringe. On so many levels."
Other news coming out of AmericaFest includes Erika endorsing Vance for president in 2028, sparking rumors that she's angling to be first lady. We also got some fresh fashion disasters from Erika at the big event.