Nicki Minaj Praises President Trump In Passionate U.N. Speech, Insists She’s Not ‘Taking Sides’

Nicki Minaj praised President Donald Trump in a powerful U.N. speech about the violent conflict in Nigeria.

The “Beez in the Trap” rapper spoke at the U.N. headquarters in New York City on Tuesday, November 18. In her remarks, Minaj thanked the president for his position on the persecution of Christians in Nigeria.

Trump, 79, has named the African country of Nigeria “A Country of Particular Concern” due to “the government’s engaging and tolerating systematic, ongoing, and egregious religious freedom violations,” according to the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom.

“I would like to thank President Trump for prioritizing this issue and for his leadership on the global stage in calling for urgent action to defend Christians in Nigeria, to combat extremism and to bring a stop to violence against those who simply want to exercise their natural right to freedom of religion or belief,” Minaj, 42, said in her speech, a clip of which was shared to the official Instagram account of The White House.

Minaj added in her remarks: “I stand here as a proud New Yorker with a deep sense of gratitude that we live in a country where we can freely and safely worship God, regardless of one’s creed, background or politics. No group should ever be persecuted for practicing their religion … We don’t have to share the same beliefs in order for us to respect each other. We’re way beyond thinking or expecting or assuming for the person sitting next to you to have the exact same beliefs … that’s ridiculous.”

The hitmaker insisted multiple times throughout her speech that her decision to speak at the U.N. was “not about taking sides or dividing people. It is about uniting humanity.”

“It’s about what I’ve always stood for my entire career,” she added, “and I will continue to stand for that for the rest of my life.”

On the social media platform X, Minaj responded to a message from U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., Mike Waltz, who thanked her for using her platform for politics.

“Ambassador, I am so grateful to be entrusted with an opportunity of this magnitude,” Minaj wrote in part. “I do not take it for granted. It means more than you know.”