Charlie Kirk backed Nicki Minaj when Dems attacked her over Covid vax—now she's live on stage at AmFest

After singer-rapper Nicki Minaj was attacked by the left when she expressed hesitancy over getting the Covid-19, Charlie Kirk posted in support of her at the time. Now Minaj made a surprise appearance at the conclusion of Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest 2025, delivering a speech focused on encouraging girls to be confident and proud of who they are rather than tearing others down for having a different background.

In 2021, after Minaj had made posts questioning the effectiveness of the Covid-19 vaccine, Kirk posted, "Democrats’ treatment of Nicki Minaj should be all the proof you need that they don’t care about black people, especially those they can't control. They just use them every 4 years for their votes. But people are waking up."

During Minaj's speech over four years later, she addressed the audience with a message centered on self-worth, criticizing ways of thinking that view people primarily through race and elevate some appearances over others. Without referencing diversity, equity, and inclusion programs by name, she argued that cultural messaging has promoted pride for some groups while discouraging it for others.

“I don’t want any child feeling that way,” Minaj said. “If, as black women, we felt that we were not being represented and not being admired for our beauty, if we felt that as black women, why would we want to do that to other women? Why would we now need to make other people downplay their beauty?”

“I don’t need someone with blonde hair and blue eyes to downplay their beauty, because I know my beauty,” she continued. “Why have we gotten to a point where certain colors or certain kinds of people have to be afraid of loving themselves and loving the way they look?”

Minaj said her message was directed especially at young girls. “I want all little girls in the world to know that you are unique. You are beautiful. You are you,” she said. “We need to nurture young girls. Whether they are black, white, Asian, Hispanic, they still need to be nurtured. They cannot continue to pay for other people’s sins. They haven’t done anything wrong.”

Minaj’s appearance came as a surprise to attendees and followed a period in which she has become more outspoken on political and cultural issues. She has recently spoken publicly in defense of Christians worldwide and used her America Fest appearance to praise President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance. She also criticized California Governor Gavin Newsom, referring to him as “Newscum.”

Minaj said her views on certain issues have evolved and that she now feels more compelled to speak openly, adding that she ignores backlash.