World news 28K views since yesterday

Minaj's Trump endorsement tests the link between fandom and votes

An Israeli report examines the campaign's outreach to new audiences after Trump comments on the rapper's body at a Michigan rally.

Channel: Kan News Hebrew channel ·

IsraelStory of October 28, 2026Trari Newsroom

Why this story? One of כאן | חדשות - תאגיד השידור הישראלי's most watched videos since yesterday, with 28,175 views.

כאן | חדשות - תאגיד השידור הישראלי: The news division of Kan, Israel's public broadcaster. 806K subscribers and 1.8B views.

ה"מחמאה" הבעייתית של טראמפ לניקי מינאז' - אחרי שהכריזה על תמיכה בו

Things we can learn from the video

Press to jump

0:25Trump comments on Minaj's buttocks, then says he hopes she was not insulted.
0:42Udi Sommer interprets the interaction as an attempt to energize voters in key states.
0:55The report contrasts Minaj's endorsement with her criticism of Trump's immigration policies in 2018.
2:18Minaj declares herself probably the president's number one fan.
3:26The report explains the campaign's interest in reaching new audiences, without establishing that Minaj's listeners will follow.

Nicki Minaj calls herself "probably the president's number one fan." Whether her listeners will follow her politically is a different question, and the central uncertainty in a report by Israel's Kan News, the news division of the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation.

Reporter Litan Leshiner pairs footage of Minaj's appearance at a Republican rally in Michigan with analysis of what Donald Trump gains from her endorsement. The president comments explicitly on her buttocks, then adds: "I hope Nicki wasn't insulted, but we love Nicki."

Professor Udi Sommer, identified as head of Tel Aviv University's Barak Center for Leadership, interprets the interaction as an effort to energize voters in key states. Pop-culture content creator Michaela Hazani argues that the association also strengthens Trump's presence in popular culture.

For Minaj, Hazani sees a different calculation. She argues that supporting Trump risks damaging the rapper's image with her audience, whose cultural outlook she describes as being at odds with the Republican right. That is Hazani's assessment, not evidence that listeners have changed their loyalties.

The report also recalls Minaj's criticism of Trump's immigration policies in 2018, setting her earlier position against her enthusiastic support at the rally. It places her appearance within a broader account of musicians' political involvement, including Taylor Swift's endorsement of Kamala Harris and Katy Perry's objections over the use of her music.

The campaign's interest, the report suggests, is access to people it might otherwise struggle to reach. Minaj supplies a public endorsement and a recognizable voice. The closing footage returns to her speaking at the rally, while the narration leaves the electoral question unresolved: her support does not establish how her audience will vote.

Published on Trari