WASHINGTON, United States – U.S. President Donald Trump drew laughs and mixed reactions at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner after making a joke about rapper Nicki Minaj during his speech on Friday night.
Speaking at the event held at the Waldorf Astoria, Trump referenced the association’s disrupted April gala, which ended abruptly after a gunman breached security and opened fire. Okay News reports that Trump joked that when attendees shouted “Get down!” after hearing gunshots, Minaj “started twerking,” adding that she was the only person who “really understood what that meant.”
The rapper was not present at the rescheduled dinner but has become one of Trump’s most visible celebrity supporters during his second term. Earlier this month, Nicki Minaj attended a White House Rose Garden event, later posed with the president in the Oval Office, and shared a photo on X describing Trump as her “favorite President of all time.”
Minaj has also publicly defended her support for Trump, saying many celebrities privately share her views but avoid speaking out because of possible backlash. In a recent interview, she said she hopes her openness will encourage others to express their political opinions without fear.
The annual correspondents’ dinner marked Trump’s first appearance at the event since returning to office, having skipped it throughout his first presidential term. This year’s gathering featured fewer celebrity guests than usual and omitted its traditional red carpet following the security incident that disrupted the original April event.
