Nicki Minaj is using her star power to rally support for President Donald Trump. Whether she can cast a ballot herself is less clear.
The "Super Bass" rapper, 43, joined Trump at an Oct. 25 rally in Port Huron, Michigan, where she led the crowd in chants supporting the president and he complimented her backside.
"By the way, I looked at one hell of a beautiful a-- before: Nicki Minaj," Trump said during the rally.
Her support has also prompted White House communications director Steven Cheung to float her as a potential press secretary.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I think we may have found the new White House Press Secretary!" he wrote on X with a video showing the two engaging in a short interview, in which Minaj shares the reasons why she supports
the current president.
But Minaj's political advocacy does not establish her eligibility to vote. The rapper previously said she was not a U.S. citizen, then announced she was working toward citizenship.
Can Nicki Minaj vote in US elections?
Noncitizens, including lawful permanent residents, cannot vote in federal elections, according to USA.gov. If Minaj has not become a U.S. citizen, she cannot cast a ballot in this year's congressional races.
Minaj was born in Trinidad and Tobago and moved to the United States as a child. During a 2024 livestream, she said she was not a U.S. citizen, Newsweek reported.
In January, she offered an update, writing on X that she was "finalizing that citizenship paperwork as we speak, as per MY wonderful, gracious, charming President."
"Thanks to the petition. I wouldn't have done it without you," she said in her post. "Gold Trump card free of charge."
She has not publicly confirmed completing the process. It remains unclear whether she has since become a citizen.
USA TODAY has reached out to Minaj's rep for comment.
Submitting paperwork alone does not make someone a citizen. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services explains that naturalization applicants must complete the process, including taking the Oath of Allegiance.
Nicki Minaj urges fans to vote as she embraces Trump
Minaj has encouraged her followers, known as the Barbz, to participate in the midterm elections.
In an Oct. 6 post, she reminded fans about approaching voter registration deadlines ahead of the Nov. 3 election.
"I encourage you to exercise your right to VOTE. Your voice is needed now more than ever," she wrote. "I believe in you."
That appeal followed her Sept. 18 appearance on Fox News' "The Ingraham Angle," where she defended her work with the administration and described Trump as someone she could relate to. She said she was "not going to ever make excuses" for loving the president.
"I am honored to be able to have an opportunity to work with this administration and to work with President Trump," Minaj told host Laura Ingraham. "He has inspired many people, not just me, and he's fun. He's not just smart and he's just not the president, but he's also just someone that I can relate to."
Her support was already on display at the Trump Accounts event in January, where she called herself "probably the president's No. 1 fan"
Contributing: KiMi Robinson, Amaris Encinas, Jay Stahl, USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Can Nicki Minaj vote? What to know about her citizenship, Trump support
