Deport Petition Passes 70,000 as Nicki Minaj AmericaFest Controversy Escalates

Rapper Nicki Minaj faces a surge of online backlash after her appearance at a conservative conference, with petitions calling for her deportation topping 100,000 signatures combined. The campaign highlights deepening divides over her evolving political views and past support from diverse fan bases.

Controversial Conference Appearance

Minaj spoke at Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest in Phoenix, Arizona, on December 21, 2024, alongside Erika Kirk, widow of the organization’s assassinated founder, Charlie Kirk. She described President Donald Trump as handsome and a role model, expressing the highest respect for him. Her comment on gender identity—”Boys, be boys… It’s okay be boys”—drew immediate criticism for echoing Republican positions on gender-affirming care.

LGBTQ+ and Fan Backlash

The remarks struck many as a betrayal, especially given Minaj’s long-standing popularity among queer audiences. Social media posts captured the sentiment, with one declaring that trans, gay, or queer fans should reconsider their loyalty after recent events. Podcaster Joe Budden announced on December 24, 2024, that he was done with Minaj, calling her appearance anti-Black and questioning her ties to an anti-transgender group. His co-host, Marc Lamont Hill, noted her discussion with Kirk about Trump’s attractiveness.

Petition Drives and Grievances

The leading petition, “Deport Nicki Minaj to Trinidad,” amassed over 74,000 signatures by late December 2024. Created under the pseudonym Pedonika Minaj, it accused her of spiraling out of control and referenced her husband Kenneth Petty’s 1995 conviction for attempted first-degree rape, for which he remains a Level 2 registered sex offender. A second petition by Tristan Hamilton, launched December 27, 2024, gathered over 37,000 signatures. It lamented her shift from a symbol of hope to one delivering harmful rhetoric and urged immigration review of her residency.

Immigration Realities

Born in Trinidad and Tobago, Minaj entered the U.S. at age five with her mother’s green card and has lived there for about 37 years as a lawful permanent resident, not a citizen—a fact she shared in a September 2024 TikTok livestream. Legal experts emphasize that such petitions hold no legal weight. Deportation demands specific violations like criminal convictions involving moral turpitude, immigration fraud, or security issues, processed before a judge. Minaj has no personal criminal record, and her husband’s does not apply to her status. Her political speech remains protected by the First Amendment.

Political Evolution and Ironies

Minaj’s trajectory marks a stark change. In Trump’s first term, she opposed family separations, skipped a Saudi concert over LGBTQ rights, and celebrated Biden’s 2020 win with a Kamala Harris post. In 2018, she described herself as arriving as an undocumented immigrant at age five. By 2024, she backed White House stances on Nigerian Christian persecution, criticized California Governor Gavin Newsom over transgender youth support, and received praise from U.N. Ambassador Mike Waltz as the greatest female recording artist and a principled figure. At AmericaFest, she vowed to refuse backing down. Reports of her deactivating Instagram around Christmas Eve 2024 and losing millions of followers proved exaggerated, per fact-checks. Bernice King, daughter of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., responded to event rhetoric from Vice President JD Vance, noting she had never seen white people required to apologize for their race in her 62 years.

This clash underscores broader tensions in celebrity politics, immigrant narratives, and fan expectations amid polarization. While petitions voice disappointment, Trump’s support makes enforcement unlikely, leaving the episode as a flashpoint for debates on accountability and free expression.