Nicki Minaj Urges Young Americans to 'Vote Red' Despite Saying in 2024 That She Was Not a US Citizen

Nicki Minaj called on young Americans to 'vote red now' in the 3 November midterm elections, signalling support for Republicans. Fox News aired her appeal on Saturday, 26 September.

Yet in September 2024, the Trinidad-born rapper said in a TikTok live video that she did not hold US citizenship. Only US citizens can vote in federal elections, so whether Minaj is eligible to vote herself remains unclear because she has not publicly confirmed becoming a citizen. In January, she wrote that she was finalising her citizenship paperwork. She has not publicly confirmed the outcome since. A green card allows permanent residence and work in the US but does not grant voting rights.

What Minaj Said on Fox News

Minaj spoke on My View with Lara Trump, a Fox News weekend show. Its host, Lara Trump, is the president's daughter-in-law. Minaj urged young viewers to vote in local races too, saying the country needed them more than ever. She also described President Donald Trump as authentic. Backing him, she said, was now her mission. Lara Trump praised the appeal as a 'Great sales pitch to the voters of America,' adding that she loved it.

Minaj once criticised border policies from Trump's first term. In June 2018, she wrote on Instagram that she had come to the US illegally at age five. That post called the policy of taking migrant children from their parents scary, yet by December 2025 she was praising Trump at AmericaFest, a Turning Point USA conference in Phoenix. At a Treasury Department event in Washington on 28 January 2026, she called herself probably his 'No. 1 fan'.

The Gold Card Post and Her Residency

Later that day, Minaj posted a photo on X of a gold card printed with Trump's face and signature. The design resembled the official Trump Gold Card, a US government visa programme for foreign nationals. Its website says applicants who pass vetting, pay a $15,000 (£11,000) Department of Homeland Security processing fee and make a $1M (about £756,000) contribution can receive US residency in record time. Her post has drawn more than 220,000 likes on X.

Minaj's second post that night said the card came free. In a January report, unnamed officials called it a keepsake, not a visa. One official said Minaj had held a green card for about 20 years, so she could already apply for citizenship without the card. US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) normally requires five years as a permanent resident before naturalisation.

Who Can Cast a Ballot on 3 November

USA.gov, the US government's official website, says non-citizens cannot vote in federal, state or most local elections. Naturalisation is one route to citizenship and a federal vote. Green card holders can still back a party: the Federal Election Commission (FEC) lets them donate to US campaigns.

Minaj's published interview remarks do not say whether she plans to vote. In a 2019 Halloween video, she joked in character that marrying an American would let her sign up to vote. On X, a clip of her appeal from the video account Acyn drew 514 replies and 504 likes by Monday.