Trump jokes about Nicki Minaj at Correspondents' Dinner

President Donald Trump delivered a series of pointed jokes at the rescheduled White House Correspondents' Dinner on Friday, July 24, 2026, at the Waldorf Astoria in Washington, D.C., with a quip about rapper Nicki Minaj drawing significant attention. The event was held three months after the original April 25 dinner was abruptly canceled when a gunman breached security near the Washington Hilton.

In his speech, Trump referenced the chaotic moments of the April incident. "After hearing the gunshots, many people yelled, 'Get down! Get down!' which caused Nicki Minaj to start twerking," the president said. "Do you believe it? She's the only one that really understood what that meant." The remark was met with a mixed reaction from the audience, described as polite laughter by some accounts, but it sparked swift and critical commentary online. Many social media users condemned the joke as racially insensitive, while others criticized Minaj for her political alignment with the president.

Minaj, who has become one of Trump's most vocal celebrity supporters in recent months, responded playfully the following day on social media. She posted an image of a pink-haired Chucky doll with the...