Trump Praises Nicki Minaj at Michigan Rally; Republicans Face Questions, and SNL Parodies the Alliance

President Donald Trump praised the looks of rapper Nicki Minaj at his Oct. 25 rally in Port Huron, Michigan, where she stood, waved and went along with his remarks. Minaj had flown with Trump on Air Force One and backed Republican candidates Mike Rogers and John James before the Nov. 3 midterm elections. During the flight, a Trump staffer floated Minaj as White House press secretary, and Trump later told The Benny Show the idea was good and he would think about it. Days later, at a rally in Daytona Beach, Florida, Republican Senator Ashley Moody joked that she wondered why Trump had not praised her "asset" as he had Minaj's, and said Republicans had been questioned about the president's decorum since the Michigan rally.

Left-leaning Rolling Stone frames the story as a timeline of a "bizarre" alliance, opening with Minaj's 2020 statement that she would not join the Trump bandwagon, and describing her White House appearances and midterm campaigning as a rightward shift with unclear motives. Its excerpt does not mention the rally comments, Moody or the press secretary idea. Alternative outlets Billboard and Variety lead with Saturday Night Live's Halloween cold open, which cast Saidah Belo-Osagie as Minaj and reported the press secretary idea, and Variety's headline stresses Trump's physique remarks and a claim that he admits he "might be gay." Right-leaning Daily Mail centers on Trump's rear-end remark, using a "bizarre rear-end obsession" headline, quoting Moody's joke, and noting the 80-year-old president's age. All sides agree Minaj campaigned with Trump, but the left emphasizes the relationship, the alternative sources emphasize comedy, and the right emphasizes the president's comments.