Nicki Minaj Brutally Slammed as a 'Court Jester' After Joining Trump's Million Dollar Pitch Event

Nicki Minaj will judge the Trump administration's $1 million (£740,635) small-business pitch competition in Washington, DC, on 18 September, joining a celebrity panel tasked with evaluating five national finalists.

The US Small Business Administration announced Minaj's involvement on 31 August. The live finale is part of the agency's Freedom 250 programme, which marks 250 years of American free enterprise and promotes small businesses contributing to employment, innovation and economic growth.

Minaj will serve alongside Airbnb co-founder Joe Gebbia and entrepreneur and real-estate investor Grant Cardone. Actor and television presenter Dean Cain will host the event before a live audience.

The five finalists will compete for predetermined cash prizes funded by Clover Network, a payments and financial-technology company. First place will receive $400,000 (£295,240), followed by $250,000 (£184,929.71) for second place and $150,000 (£111,216.15) for third. Fourth place carries a $125,000 (£92,292.50) award, while the fifth-place business will receive $75,000 (£55,614.38).

Nicki Minaj Celebrates Trump Administration Role

Minaj welcomed the appointment in a post on X shortly after the judging panel was announced.

'This is a major, MAJOR KEY,' the rapper wrote. 'Sooooooooooo looking forward to this!!! Imagine being a part of the Trump Administration's initiative to support small businesses. Let's GO!!!!!!!!!!'

The appointment attracted critical comments from some social-media users, including questions about Minaj's qualifications to assess established businesses.

'Everything she does is laughably embarrassing and disgusting; she is literally a court jester for the Republicans, and she doesn't even know it,' one critic wrote.

Those individual reactions should not, however, be treated as evidence of a universal backlash or broader division among her fans without representative data.

The SBA presented Minaj as an entrepreneur as well as a recording artist. Its announcement cited her commercial work across music, fashion, beauty and consumer products, including a record-label imprint, fragrance line and partnerships with international brands.

SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler said Minaj and the other panellists would bring experience in building brands and developing businesses.

'From building globally recognised personal and business brands and multibillion-dollar portfolios to launching innovative wellness solutions and digital platforms, each brings a unique, real-world perspective on business growth and impact,' Loeffler said.

The finalists are Compotech, Inc. of Brewer, Maine, Winton Machine of Suwanee, Georgia, Plas-Tech Tooling of Garner, Iowa, Red River of Gillette, Wyoming, and VetPowered LLC of San Diego, California.

The competition was launched in May under the Patriot Pitch name before being promoted as the Million Dollar Pitch Competition. Companies advanced through several stages of assessment before the SBA selected the five finalists.

According to the agency, entrants were evaluated on their ability to strengthen American competitiveness, create economic opportunities and quality jobs, demonstrate innovation and show sound business fundamentals. The SBA has not publicly explained the complete scoring system the celebrity judges will use at the live finale.

Minaj Strengthens Her Public Alliance With Trump

The judging role follows a series of appearances through which Minaj has demonstrated increasingly visible support for President Donald Trump and his administration.

In July, she attended a White House Rose Garden luncheon connected to the Trump Accounts initiative, a federal policy creating tax-advantaged investment accounts for eligible children.

Trump singled out Minaj during his remarks, describing her as 'so respected and so hot and so great.' He also referred to her as a 'great friend' of what he called 'common sense.'

'She's a fantastic person, and she's a woman that's respected by everybody and she's got real talent: Nicki Minaj,' the president told those attending the luncheon.

Minaj's public appearances and statements establish her political support for Trump, although they do not independently prove that the pair share a close personal friendship.

The SBA event has drawn comparisons with business reality programmes such as Shark Tank and The Apprentice, the NBC series Trump hosted before entering politics. Loeffler promoted the finale as bringing 'boardroom energy' to Washington, but the agency officially describes it as a live competition rather than a television revival.

The finalists are expected to pitch their businesses directly to Minaj, Gebbia and Cardone on 18 September. Their final placements will determine which of the five fixed cash awards they receive.

Although the SBA has said it hopes to bring the event to a broad audience, complete television and streaming arrangements had not been announced at the time of publication.