After a year of "No. 1 fan" Nicki Minaj heaping praise on President Donald Trump, the president is returning the favor with compliments of his own.
Minaj, 43, traveled with Trump on Air Force One Sunday, Oct. 25, to attend a rally in the border city of Port Huron, Michigan, as Republicans fight analysts' projections of a blue wave during the midterm elections. The two lent their star power to former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, who is facing off against Democrat Abdul El-Sayed, and Rep. John James, who is vying against Democratic Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson for Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's seat.
During his nearly two-hour appearance, Trump alleged that reporting on his previous remarks about appreciating Sen. Jon Husted's butt, which were said "in
fun," lacked context of the Republican Ohio senator's football background.
"I've never done that with a man before. Off the record, women? Yes. Men? No," Trump said. "By the way, I looked at one hell of a beautiful a-- before: Nicki Minaj."
"That's hard to miss," he said of the "Pink Friday" artist, before saying, "Stand up! That's hard to miss."
After Minaj rose from her seat and waved to the crowd, Trump continued, "I hope Nicki wasn't insulted, but we love Nicki. She's been with us for a long time."
Later in the evening, after Minaj stumped for the Republicans in a two-minute speech, Trump commended the "Starships" rapper by saying, "She never looked more beautiful" and "She is a very special person. She gets it, smart."
Trump's comments come three months after he made a joke about Minaj "twerking" at the rescheduled White House Correspondents' Association Dinner as attendees "yelled, 'Get down!'" when a gunman allegedly opened fire outside the room during the originally scheduled event on April 25.
Nicki Minaj to Trump: I'll vote for you 'if you run again'
Minaj, who was previously critical of Trump's immigration policies during his first term, has closely aligned with him and the Republican Party in his second term. She has appeared with him at events such as the U.S. Treasury Department's "Trump Accounts" summit and a White House Rose Garden luncheon.
As Trump introduced the "queen of rap," he joked, "You know, I don't like being overshadowed, and this woman overshadows me, and I'm angry about it. They're going crazy over her."
After reaching the podium, Minaj started her speech by leading the crowd in chanting, "We love Trump."
She encouraged Michiganders to "be a leader in this movement that's happening right now" during "a major turning point for our country," then shared her negative views against gender-affirming care for transgender children.
"We want our children to grow up in a place where we can be proud of. We don't want our children to be bombarded with sex changes, right?" she said. "We want people to leave the children alone, leave them out of it."
To wrap up her short speech, Minaj addressed Trump: "President Trump, it is an honor to stand with you every single time, and I will continue to support you forever and ever. If you run again, I will support you again."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump compliments Nicki Minaj's 'beautiful' butt in rally speech
