Nicki Minaj Takes Aim at Kathy Hochul Amid Press Secretary Buzz - Newsweek

Rapper and Donald Trump supporter Nicki Minaj launched a fiery attack on New York state's Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul, after a light-hearted suggestion she could be the next White House press secretary.

In an X post on Wednesday, Minaj branded Hochul “evil” and said she would “not escape God’s wrath.” In a separate post, she urged “BLACK PEOPLE” and “CHRISTIANS” specifically to vote for Hochul’s Republican opponent Bruce Blakeman. Hochul hit back, urging Minaj to “get outside.”

Minaj’s comments show Trump is continuing to attract some celebrity support despite his approval ratings declining sharply since the beginning of his second term in January 2025. Polling indicates Hochul is the strong favorite to win re-election from New York voters in next month’s midterms.

Newsweek contacted representatives of Minaj and the Hochul and Blakeman gubernatorial campaigns for comment on Thursday via email outside of regular office hours.

On X, Minaj commented: “Kathy Hochul is an evil woman. The Democratic Party should forfeit her seat because even if she wins, she will be of great consequence to them.

“Downward spiral for her. She will not escape God’s wrath. She did not denounce evil when she had the chance.”

In a separate post, Minaj shared a clip of controversial comments Hochul made in 2024 when she said: “We have Black kids growing up in the Bronx who don’t even know what the word computer is.”

Minaj added: “HOW MUCH MORE DO YOU NEED TO SEE & HEAR FROM THEM?!! HOW DARE YOU AS BLACK PEOPLE VOTE FOR THIS VILE WICKED CURSE OF A WOMAN? HOW DARE YOU AS CHRISTIANS?! SHE STAYS SILENT ON HARM BEING CAUSED TO THE INNOCENT & THIS IS WHAT SHE THINKS OF YOUR CHILDREN! Vote BLAKEMAN!”

Hochul later apologized for her remark, commenting: “I misspoke and I regret it. Of course Black children in the Bronx know what computers are.”

Asked about Minaj’s comments by a journalist on Wednesday, Hochul said the singer needed to “get outside,” adding: “And stop going to Trump rallies, it’s kinda poisoning your mind.”

A clip of these remarks was shared on X by New York Post Albany reporter Vaughn Golden, where it received over 2,200 likes.

On October 25, Minaj traveled with Trump on Air Force One to a campaign rally in Port Huron, Michigan.

Steven Cheung, the White House director of communications, shared a video of Minaj on the flight, jokingly adding: “Ladies and gentlemen, I think we may have found the new White House press secretary! @NICKIMINAJ.”

The post went viral on the platform, receiving over 5.4 million views and 32,000 likes.

The official White House X account responded to this with the “eyeballs” emoji.

Minaj shared Cheung’s X post along with an American flag and the “grinning face with sweat” emoji.

Alex Bruesewitz, a conservative commentator who advised Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign, shared Cheung’s post, adding: “Hey Barbz, what do we think about this idea??”

Minaj was born in Trinidad and in 2024 said “I’m not a citizen of America.” However, in January of this year, she shared a photograph of a Trump Gold Card, an immigration investor program offering visas and a pathway to resident status for high-net worth foreigners, adding: “Finalizing that citizenship paperwork as we speak.”

According to the federal U.S. Office of Personnel Management “in general, you must be a U.S. citizen or national to work for the federal government, but there are some exceptions.”

Karoline Leavitt stepped down as Trump’s White House press secretary at the end of August after 19 months in the job.

Leavitt was initially replaced by Katie Zacharia but she was fired after just five days following her first White House press briefing on October 13. Since then, the role has remained vacant.

As of October 29, prediction market Polymarket gave Minaj a three percent chance of being the next White House press secretary. This put her significantly behind Anna Kelly, the current White House principle deputy press secretary, on 19 percent and conservative commentator Scott Jennings with 10 percent.

Minaj’s position on Trump and his politics have changed radically over the past decade.

In November 2016, Minaj’s "Black Barbies" remix criticized Trump’s immigration policies, including the line “island girl, Donald Trump want me to go home” about herself.

An Instagram post from Minaj in June 2018 criticized U.S. immigration authorities for removing the children of suspected illegal migrants from their parents, without mentioning Trump explicitly. She said: “I came to this country as an illegal immigrant @ 5 years old. I can’t imagine the horror of being in a strange place & having my parents stripped away from me at the age of 5. This is so scary to me. Please stop this.”

However, in September 2021, Minaj questioned COVID-19 vaccine safety on X, making an unverified claim about a friend’s cousin. In November 2025, Minaj thanked Trump for highlighting the “deadly threat” to Christians in Nigeria and the following January, described herself as “probably the president’s number one fan” during an appearance alongside him.

Recent polling indicates Hochul has a sizable lead over Blakeman in her re-election battle, with a Republican governor of New York state last being elected in 2002.

A Siena Research Institute survey of 807 likely New York state voters over October 19 to 22 gave Hochul a 14-point lead, with 54 percent of the vote to Blakeman’s 40 percent. This came with a 4.1 percentage point margin of error.

A Quinnipiac University poll also found Hochul had a 14-point lead, with 55 percent of the vote against 41 percent for Blakeman. This survey of 1,167 likely New York state voters took place over 15-19 October and had a 3.8 percentage point margin of error.

As of October 27, The Cook Political Report, an independent election analysis website, classified the New York state race as “solid Democrat.”