Nicki Minaj flaunts ‘gold Trump card’ after White House visit, but it’s not what she thinks it is

Rapper Nicki Minaj appeared with President Trump this week and immediately went to social media to show off what she called a “gold Trump card free of charge.” She suggested the president had given her a special visa that would help finalize her citizenship paperwork.

However, a White House official quickly explained that the flashy gold card is just a souvenir. According to The New York Times, they said it was simply a “memento” and not an actual “visa document.” This cleared up the confusion for anyone who thought the immigration system had suddenly become a VIP fast-track lane.

Minaj posted an image of the gold-colored card, which shows President Trump’s face next to the Statue of Liberty. She wrote, “Finalizing that citizenship paperwork as we speak as per MY wonderful, gracious, charming President,” claiming she wouldn’t have done it without him. She even added an image of the horror character Chucky giving the middle finger to her post.

The real gold card program costs over $1 million and doesn’t apply to Minaj

The actual “gold card” is a real but controversial program that started last month. It’s definitely not free. People who want this expedited visa must pay a $15,000 processing fee that they can’t get back. After being checked and approved by the Homeland Security Department, they then have to pay $1 million to officially get U.S. residency and become lawful permanent residents. Immigrant advocates have criticized the program, saying it unfairly favors super-wealthy people.

The situation gets even more confusing because a Homeland Security official confirmed that Minaj has already been a legal permanent resident for about twenty years. She originally came from Trinidad and Tobago but grew up in Queens. This means she’s already eligible to apply for citizenship and doesn’t need a $1 million visa at all. Her representatives haven’t responded to questions about what she actually thought she gained from the gold-colored trinket.

This whole incident shows Minaj’s big political shift in recent years. She has become popular with the MAGA movement, which is very different from her past views. The rapper has been making headlines with her recent political controversies and comments. In 2018, she strongly criticized the administration’s “zero tolerance” policy that separated migrant children from their parents.

Back then, she said, “I can’t imagine the horror of being in a strange place & having my parents stripped away from me at the age of 5.” She added, “This is so scary to me. Please stop this. Can you try to imagine the terror & panic these kids feel right now?” Her change in tone has upset some of her fans.

Minaj has been actively supporting the administration recently. She appeared at a United Nations event in November to back President Trump’s claim that Christians were being targeted in Nigeria. She also showed up onstage with Erika Kirk, the widow of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, at Turning Point USA’s annual gathering in Arizona last month. 

During that appearance, she criticized California Governor Gavin Newsom and used a harsh nickname for him. At the White House event on Wednesday celebrating a new savings program for children, she said, “The hate or what people have to say, it does not affect me at all,” adding that it actually “motivates me to support him more.”