Nicki Minaj quits Instagram after outrage over her appearance with Erika Kirk at Turning Point USA conference
Get the inside track from Roisin O’Connor with our free weekly music newsletter Now Hear This
Get our free music newsletter Now Hear This
Get our free music newsletter Now Hear This
Nicki Minaj appears to have deactivated her Instagram account amid public outrage over her surprise appearance at Turning Point USA’s four-day AmericaFest 2026 summit.
On Sunday, the final day of the conservative conference, the rapper, 43, joined Charlie Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, to speak about her newfound admiration for President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance.
Her remarks led to significant fan backlash, and as of Wednesday, her Instagram account now reads: “Sorry, this page isn’t available.” A number of followers, however, pointed out that the “Beez in the Trap” artist had previously quit Instagram, doing so in October.
Minaj’s X account remains active.
The Independent has contacted Minaj’s representative for comment.
open image in gallery
Rapper Nicki Minaj is facing backlash for her surprise appearance at Turning Point USA’s four-day AmericaFest 2026 summit. She has now deactivated her Instagram account. (Getty Images)
open image in gallery
Minaj praised President Donald Trump as ‘handsome’ and ‘dashing’ during her apperance. (AP)
During her conversation with Kirk, the Grammy-winning “Starships” rapper praised Trump as “handsome” and “dashing.”
“This administration is full of people with heart and soul, and they make me proud of them. Our vice president, he makes me … well, I love both of them,” Minaj continued. “Both of them have a very uncanny ability to be someone that you relate to.”
Minaj said she was tired of being “pushed around,” and she noted that speaking one’s mind with different ideas is often controversial because “people are no longer using their minds.”
Kirk, who took over as leader of Turning Point USA after the assassination of her husband, thanked Minaj for being “courageous,” despite the backlash she is receiving from the entertainment industry for expressing support for Trump.
“I didn’t notice,” Minaj said. “We don’t even think about them.” Kirk then responded, “We don’t have time to. We’re too busy building, right?” to which the rapper replied: “We’re the cool kids.”
Her appearance has been met with overwhelming disappointment from fans, with several suggesting that her change of tune was influenced by money.
Enjoy unlimited access to 100 million ad-free songs and podcasts with Amazon Music
Sign up now for a 30-day free trial. Terms apply.
Try for free
ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.
Enjoy unlimited access to 100 million ad-free songs and podcasts with Amazon Music
Sign up now for a 30-day free trial. Terms apply.
Try for free
ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.
“If you needed money this badly, you should have just said that,” one wrote on X. “
Your career is done,” a second insisted, while another added: “You picked the wrong side!”
open image in gallery
Kirk took over as the leader of Turning Point USA after the assassination of her husband, Charlie Kirk, in September (AP)
The Trinidadian-born rapper, who once sang, “Island girl, Donald Trump want me go home,” in what was widely recognized as a takedown of the then-president-elect’s migrant-deporting rhetoric, was once critical of Trump.
In 2018, she was one of several celebrities condemning his zero-tolerance immigration policy that split more than 5,000 children from their families at the Mexico border. Back then, she shared her own story of arriving in the country at 5 years old, describing herself as an “illegal immigrant.”
“This is so scary to me. Please stop this. Can you try to imagine the terror & panic these kids feel right now?” she wrote on Instagram at the time.
