President Donald Trump praised Nicki Minaj’s “beautiful” skin and “long” nails during a Black History Month event at the White House, once again putting the rapper at the center of a political moment that quickly drew attention.
Speaking at the celebration on Wednesday, Trump paused during his address to single out Nicki, who had appeared with him in Washington, D.C., just weeks earlier. As the crowd reacted, the president leaned into the moment.
“How about Nicki Minaj?” he asked. “Do we love Nicki Minaj? I love Nicki Minaj. She was here a couple of weeks ago. She’s so beautiful. Her skin’s so beautiful.”
As he spoke, Trump gestured toward his own face while emphasizing his compliment. He continued, shifting his focus to her manicure. “I said, ‘Nicki, you’re so beau…’ Her nails, her nails. They’re like that long,” he said, holding up his hand to demonstrate the length.
Trump added that he had asked Nicki whether the nails were real. “She didn’t want to get into that,” he said, before praising her again as “so beautiful and so great,” and adding that “she gets it.”
The remarks follow Nicki Minaj’s appearance alongside the president late last month in support of the launch of “Trump Accounts” for American babies, an initiative for which she has pledged money. During that event, she was photographed holding hands with Trump. Her hand featured long, elaborate nails, while his was noted for visible makeup on the back of his hand.
At a January 28 event, Trump joked that he might let his own nails grow because he admired hers, calling Nicki “so good” and “MAGA all the way.” Nicki Minaj returned the praise, telling attendees she was likely the president’s “number one fan.”
The Trinidadian-born rapper’s recent appearances with Trump have placed her in the spotlight during Black History Month.
