Nicki Minaj's citizenship explained as Donald Trump gives rapper 'gold card'
Nicki Minaj has sparked a lot of controversy online after she announced Donald Trump had given her a 'Gold Card', calling herself his number one ‘fan’.
In a twist nobody could have predicted, the 43-year-old Trinidadian rapper is now the happy owner of one free Trump Gold Card, which normally sets you back $1 million.
The ‘Anaconda’ rapper was bestowed the gift during an appearance at the Trump Accounts Summit on Wednesday (28 January), which has shocked people because she was previously against the POTUS' policies in 2018.
However, she has recently been increasingly supportive of the Trump administration, and made a surprise appearance alongside Erika Kirk at Turning Point USA's America Fest in Arizona on 21 December.
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But this latest appearance has sparked a wave of questions - namely, about her own citizenship status after she took to X to share a snap of the card and revealed she’s writing up her application papers to be a US citizen.
One person on social media wrote of the pic: "Ooooof… yikes."
"What a joke," said a second.
Responding to the backlash, Minaj wrote: "Residency? Residency? The cope is coping. Finalising that citizenship paperwork as we speak as per MY wonderful, gracious, charming President. Thanks to the petition. I wouldn’t have done it without you.
"Oh CitizenNIKA you are thee moment. Gold Trump card free of charge."
What makes this surprising is that Minaj revealed in 2018 that she was brought to the US as an ‘illegal immigrant’ from Trinidad and Tobago when she was five, and did not receive citizenship at any point afterwards.
The 'Super Bass' singer said in the Facebook post, pertaining to Trump’s family-separating immigration policies: "I can't imagine the horror of being in a strange place and having my parents stripped away from me at the age of five.”
"This is so scary to me. Please stop this. Can you try to imagine the terror and panic these kids feel right now? Not knowing if their parents are dead or alive, if they'll ever see them again."
Then, in 2024, during a TikTok stream, she told her fans: "I'm not a citizen of America. Isn't that crazy?
"I was born on a beautiful island called Trinidad and Tobago. But I've been in the States for many years.
"You would think that with the millions of dollars that I've paid in taxes to this country that I would have been given an honorary citizenship many, many, many thousands of years ago."
Now, with the card, she will have the right of residence in the US, but won’t technically be a citizen via the card alone.
Per the Trump Card website, it explains that the Gold Card is a 'visa based upon an individual’s ability to provide a substantial benefit to the United States'.
It adds: "To apply, an applicant must pay a non-refundable, $15,000 DHS processing fee. Once an applicant’s processing fee is received, the process for petition approval and visa adjudication will take place on an expedited basis, assuming applicants submit any additional documents or fees in a timely manner.”
"A $1 million gift upon completion of the individual’s vetting is evidence that the individual will substantially benefit the United States," the website adds, noting that the person might also 'need to pay small, additional fees to the U.S. Department of State depending on his or her circumstances.’
But if all goes well, they will be able to stay as a resident as an EB-1 or EB-2 visa holder.
The Trump Platinum Card is apparently ‘coming soon’, per the site, which says that ‘when launched, and upon receipt of a $15,000 DHS processing fee and $5 million contribution, they will have the ability to spend up to 270 days in the United States without being subject to U.S. taxes on non-U.S. income'.
Tyla previously reached out to Nicki Minaj's representatives for comment.
Topics: Music, Celebrity, Donald Trump, Politics, US News
Britt Jones