Nicki Minaj Attacks Gov. Kathy Hochul on X and Backs Bruce Blakeman; Hochul Responds

Rapper Nicki Minaj used a series of posts on X on Wednesday to call New York Gov. Kathy Hochul an evil woman and urge voters to choose Republican Bruce Blakeman in the Nov. 3 gubernatorial election. Minaj said the Democratic Party should forfeit Hochul's seat and accused the governor of failing to speak out against what Minaj described as harm to innocent people. She also appealed to Black voters and Christians to turn against Hochul. Minaj reposted a video of Hochul's 2024 remark that Black children in the Bronx did not know what a computer is, and responded in all capitals. Hochul apologized for that remark at the time, saying she misspoke and regretted it. Hochul answered Minaj's attack with a jab at President Donald Trump. Minaj, once a Trump critic, now appears alongside him ahead of the 2026 midterms.

The left-leaning MS NOW makes the story about Minaj herself. Its headline asks what her anger at Hochul is "really about," it calls her a Trump critic turned MAGA groupie, and it points to two close family members with criminal convictions. The excerpt does not mention Hochul's reply, the Bronx remark or the election date. The right-leaning Fox News leads with the insult and Hochul's comeback. It quotes Minaj's posts at length, gives the Bronx remark and Hochul's apology, and names Blakeman and the Nov. 3 date. The portion available does not mention Minaj's family. Both treat Minaj's turn toward Trump as the backdrop, but MS NOW questions her motives while Fox reports her accusations and the exchange with the governor. The Free Press, an alternative outlet, stands apart by treating the episode lightly, asking in a newsletter roundup whether Minaj could be Trump's next press secretary.