President Trump turned a scary moment into a punchline, joking about pop star Nicki Minaj “twerking” during the chaos of a real shooting scare near the White House.
Story Snapshot
- Trump joked at the rescheduled White House Correspondents’ Dinner that Minaj “twerked” when people yelled “get down” during an earlier shooting disruption.
- Reports say Minaj was not actually present at either the original or rescheduled dinner, making the joke pure improv theater.
- Minaj has repeatedly called herself Trump’s “number one fan” and “biggest supporter” at other White House events.
- Trump has praised her publicly as “so hot” and “so respected” during a Rose Garden luncheon and an Oval Office visit.
- Minaj’s viral “Game Over” post sparked buzz online before she clarified it was a lyric reference, not a political statement.
Trump Turns A Scary Moment Into A Laugh Line
President Trump used his speech at the rescheduled White House Correspondents’ Dinner to poke fun at a tense situation. He brought up the attempted mass shooting that had disrupted the original dinner in April, calling it “an assault on our democracy itself” before shifting into comedy. He joked that when people yelled “get down” during the chaos, Nicki Minaj responded by twerking instead.
The line got laughs, but reporting shows a twist. Minaj was not actually at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, either the first one or the rescheduled event, according to USA Today coverage of the joke. That means Trump built an entire bit around a celebrity who was not even in the room, turning a real crisis into comic relief on his own terms.
A Public Friendship Built Over Many White House Visits
Minaj’s connection to Trump did not start at the dinner. She has shown up at several White House events this year, including the Trump Accounts Summit in January, where she declared herself “probably the president’s number one fan” and said criticism from others only made her support him more. That same loyalty carried into later appearances at the Rose Garden and beyond.
Trump has returned the compliments plenty of times. During a Rose Garden luncheon in July, he called Minaj “so respected and so hot” and later welcomed her into the Oval Office, calling her “a fantastic person”. Minaj embraced the attention, posting photos from her visits and calling Trump her “favourite President of all time” while adopting the nickname “White House Barbie”.
Media Outrage Meets A Playful Public Response
Fox News described Trump’s dinner speech as packed with “sharp, provocative humor,” framing the night as both a roast and a statement against political violence. Predictably, some media commentary treated the Minaj joke as controversial rather than funny, even though the underlying event, a real shooting scare turned into a comedy bit at a black-tie dinner, speaks for itself as a story about resilience over fear.
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— M.A. Rothman (@MichaelARothman) July 25, 2026
Minaj did not seem bothered by the attention her name kept getting from Trump’s podium. When she posted “Game Over” after one of her White House meetings, it went viral instantly and fans speculated about political meaning. She later clarified the phrase actually referenced her 2009 song “I Get Crazy,” not a political statement, keeping the moment light rather than combative.
Why This Exchange Matters Beyond The Punchline
Conservatives watching this unfold see something bigger than a celebrity joke. A chart-topping rap star has openly aligned herself with Trump, calling him her “biggest supporter” while accepting his praise in return. That kind of crossover appeal cuts against the media narrative that conservative politics cannot connect with pop culture or younger audiences.
The joke itself, built around an event she did not even attend, shows Trump’s willingness to find humor even after a genuine act of political violence disrupted the dinner months earlier. Supporters see that as strength under pressure rather than insensitivity, especially since Minaj herself has never publicly objected to being featured in his remarks.
Sources:
redstate.com, youtube.com, pbs.org, usatoday.com
