Fans Have a Hopeful, Yet Unlikely Theory as to Why Nicki Minaj Has Gone MAGA

While rapper Nicki Minaj is known for her music and business ventures, in 2025, she also showed her political side. In December 2025, “Super Bass” artist shocked many of her supporters within the BiPOC and LGBTQ+ communities and their allies when she confirmed her support of President Donald Trump and the MAGA movement. Nicki did so while speaking with Charlie Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, over a year after the assassinated political commentator publicly said Nicki wasn’t a positive influence on “18-year-old Black girls.”

The renowned artist’s new alignment with the Trump Administration was so sudden that many of her fans have tried to make sense of it. Several fan theories have come out, including one that has to do with the men in Nicki’s life’s legal troubles. One conspiracy theory in particular states that she’s seeking a pardon from Trump and will allegedly do anything it takes to make it happen.

Nicki’s support of Trump has been a topic of discussion on social media apps such as TikTok. On the video-sharing app, several creators, including @cocomocoe, suggested that she became an instant Trump supporter in hopes of receiving pardons for her brother, Jelani Maraj, and her husband, Kenneth Petty. For a refresher, Jelani is serving a 25-year-to-life prison sentence for repeatedly raping his stepdaughter.

Kenneth was also convicted for attempted rape in the first degree in 1995 and was convicted again in 2006 for first-degree manslaughter. Additionally, he is a registered sex offender and, in 2019, faced criminal charges for failing to register after he moved to Los Angeles, Calif., from New York, N.Y., to be with Nicki.

Over the years, Nicki has expressed her support for both her brother and husband. According to Page Six, during Jelani’s trial, the “Beez in the Trap” rapper wrote a letter in hopes of him getting a lighter sentence, describing him as the “most patient, gentle, genuine, giving selfless man I know.” Nicki has also been known to feud with fans, other rappers such as Megan Thee Stallion, and even an alleged survivor of Kenneth’s assault, Jennifer Hough, for even insinuating her husband is a sexual predator.

Although Nicki may support the Trump Administration for legal assistance, it’s much more challenging to obtain than public support alone. According to the U.S. Constitution, the president can only pardon sex offenders who have committed federal crimes. Since both Kenneth and Jelani’s convictions were through the state, there’s not much that Trump can do for them.

Some have proposed a more plausible theory regarding Nicki’s switch-up: she’s using the Trump Administration for financial gain. Although she didn’t name the rapper by name, Lizzo responded to a fan’s question about Nicki’s support of Trump and said she wasn’t surprised by it, as she and other prominent rappers might turn to the right-wing ideology for heftier paydays.

“You’re about to see an influx of people who see that it is more profitable and more beneficial to join that side,” Lizzo said in a since-deleted video. “You’re going to see it. It already started, and it’s going to continue.”

Nicki, for her part, has never said that money or potential pardons affected her decision. While speaking with Erika at Turning Point USA’s AmFest, she said she believed Trump and his vice president, JD Vance, were “amazing role models” for young men.