Key Takeaways
- At the rescheduled 2026 White House Correspondents' Dinner, Donald Trump turned April's shooting into a punchline by joking that shouts of "get down" made Nicki Minaj start twerking because she was the only one who "really understood" the command.
- The joke came amid a speech full of jabs at Hollywood, journalists, and political rivals, and leaned on Minaj's status as one of Trump's most visible celebrity allies during his second term.
- Minaj, who has appeared with Trump at the White House and calls herself "WhiteHouseBarbie" and his "favorite President of all time," says she has long supported him privately and now sees herself as a catalyst for other celebrities to speak openly about their politics.
Donald Trump took aim at celebrities, politicians and the media during this weekend's rescheduled White House Correspondents' Association Dinner.
Speaking at the Waldorf Astoria in Washington, D.C. on Friday (July 24), the president referenced April's WHCA dinner, which was abruptly interrupted after a gunman breached security and opened fire, forcing attendees to take cover. It was then that he made a joke about Nicki Minaj.
"After hearing the gunshots, many people yelled, 'Get down!'" Trump said. "Which caused Nicki Minaj to start twerking. Can you believe it? She's the only one that really understood what that meant."
The crowd reacted to the punchline as Trump continued a speech filled with jabs aimed at Hollywood figures, journalists and political opponents.
Although Minaj was not in attendance, she has become one of Trump's most visible celebrity allies during his second term in office.
Earlier this month, the rapper appeared alongside Trump at a White House Rose Garden event before posing for photos with him in the Oval Office. Sharing one of the images on X afterward, she called herself "WhiteHouseBarbie" and described Trump as her "favorite President of all time."
Minaj has also made several public appearances in support of the administration this year. In January, she attended the Trump Accounts Summit, where she referred to herself as "probably the president's No. 1 fan." She also attended a screening of first lady Melania Trump's documentary, Melania, at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
While Minaj previously criticized some of Trump's immigration policies during his first term, she told Time in May that she had privately supported him for years but had hesitated to speak publicly out of concern over backlash within the entertainment industry.
"Many celebrities feel the way I do, but they don't say it," Minaj said at the time. "Sometimes, you just need one brave person to get the brunt of the impact. I think I am the catalyst for that change."
She added that she hopes her willingness to speak openly will encourage others to voice their political beliefs without fear.
