From people of color to women, members of the LGBTQ+ community, immigrants, and more, Nicki Minaj‘s fan base (affectionately called #Barbz) is comprised of a myriad of identities and expressions – many of whom have lambasted the Rap diva over the last few weeks for aligning herself with the ideals of President Trump and conservatism.
Said alignment not only led many to publicly renounce affiliation with the stan group and its leader, but also sign petitions to have her booted from America given how open she’s been about living as a person who immigrated to the country illegally from her native Trinidad.
Just as those petitions surpassed a collective 162,000 signatures, Minaj – who spent most of Wednesday (January 28) dominating headlines for speaking at Trump’s Accounts Summit – took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to trumpet ownership of a Trump Gold Card.
“Residency? Residency? The cope is coping,” Nicki told her 25.6 million followers on the platform in response to murmurs about her immigration status. “Finalizing 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.”
For context, the “Gold card” is essentially an elite edition of the “green card” and acts as a version of the immigration program that expedites the process of lawful permanent residency for individuals “willing to make substantial financial contributions to the U.S. government.”
Their donations helps them bypass traditional VISA requirements.
Minaj, on the other hand, asserted she obtained her Gold card without cost.
“Oh CitizenNIKA you are thee moment…Gold Trump card free of charge,” she said in Wednesday’s tweet.
The surprise announcement of her Gold card obtainment raised eyebrows among critics who – like Don Lemon in the past – asserted her allegiance to the President was performative in hopes of obtaining something in return like U.S. resident status or pardons for convicted members of her family.
