Minaj Backs Hochul’s Republican Rival in New York Governor Race
Minaj called Hochul an “evil woman” in a series of posts on X on October 28 and urged Black voters and Christians to reject the Democratic governor. She also criticized Hochul over a 2024 comment about Black children in the Bronx and a 2025 joke about visiting liquor stores. Hochul expressed regret for her 2024 comment soon after making it; a bishop at the church where she made the liquor-store comments defended them as being made in the context of his sermon.
Minaj endorsed Blakeman, Hochul’s Republican challenger in the November 3 gubernatorial election. At a campaign appearance, Hochul said Minaj could be asked how she had been “poisoned by Donald Trump.” She also said Minaj was entitled to her views and rejected the idea that the exchange was a celebrity rivalry.
Minaj appeared with Trump at a Republican rally in Port Huron, Michigan, on October 25, where he was campaigning to help Senate hopeful Mike Rogers and Michigan governor hopeful John James. She said she would continue supporting Trump if he ran again. Trump is serving his second term and the 22nd Amendment prevents him from winning a third.
Minaj previously endorsed Hochul for lieutenant governor in 2018 and criticized Trump’s immigration policy. An opinion columnist has speculated that Minaj’s family circumstances could be relevant to her political shift, while noting there is no public evidence she has sought clemency. The election is scheduled for November 3.
Minaj’s Hochul Attacks Echo Her Turn Toward Trump
Nicki Minaj’s attack on Kathy Hochul is part of a striking political shift: the rapper who endorsed Hochul for lieutenant governor in 2018 and condemned Donald Trump’s immigration policy now calls the governor “evil” and urges New Yorkers to elect Republican Bruce Blakeman.
Minaj’s posts on October 28 cited Hochul’s 2024 comment about Black children in the Bronx and a joke she made at a church in 2025. Hochul apologized for the earlier remark, and the church’s bishop defended the liquor-store comments as part of the sermon’s context. Those facts matter, but Minaj is now making them a campaign weapon while publicly standing with Trump.
Hochul responded at a campaign appearance by saying Minaj had been “poisoned by Donald Trump.” Minaj had appeared with Trump at a Michigan rally on October 25 and pledged to support him if he ran again, though the 22nd Amendment bars him from another election victory.
An opinion columnist has raised the possibility that clemency powers could be relevant to Minaj’s political realignment because her husband and brother have criminal convictions. The columnist also acknowledged there is no public evidence Minaj has asked for pardons. That remains speculation, not an established explanation. New York voters are set to choose between Hochul and Blakeman on November 3.
Hochul Fires Back at Minaj Instead of Answering Her Criticism
Nicki Minaj has put Kathy Hochul’s own record at the center of the New York governor’s race, calling the Democrat “evil” and endorsing Republican Bruce Blakeman. Hochul’s response was to blame Donald Trump for Minaj’s views, telling reporters the rapper had been “poisoned” by him.
Minaj cited Hochul’s 2024 remark that Black children in the Bronx did not know the word “computer.” Hochul apologized at the time. Minaj also pointed to Hochul’s joke about liquor-store visits during a 2025 appearance at a predominantly Black church; the church’s bishop defended the remarks as being made in the context of his sermon.
Hochul said she did not treat politics as a game, but her Trump-focused rebuttal did not erase the controversy Minaj raised. The exchange comes as Minaj has publicly backed Trump and appeared beside him at a Michigan Republican rally on October 25, where she pledged continued support. Trump is constitutionally barred from being elected to a third term.
Minaj previously endorsed Hochul for lieutenant governor in 2018, before her current support for Trump. Hochul and Blakeman are due to face voters on November 3. The campaign dispute has put the governor’s past remarks and Minaj’s political turn in the spotlight.
