Trump Backs Nicki Minaj After Rapper’s Attack On Don Lemon Over ICE Church Protest

‌Donald Trump jumped into the beef between Nicki Minaj and Don Lemon by resharing calls for the journalist’s arrest.

The president amplified a Truth Social post demanding Lemon face 40 years in prison after covering an ICE protest at a Minnesota church on January 18.

Minaj had already gone nuclear on Lemon with a series of posts on X. She called him a homophobic slur and demanded his arrest after he livestreamed activists confronting a pastor during a church service.

The controversy began when protesters disrupted a service at Cities Church in St. Paul. They targeted David Easterwood, who serves as both pastor and Acting Director of ICE’s Saint Paul Field Office.

Lemon was streaming live on his YouTube channel when the confrontation happened. He told viewers the service stopped and many people left after the surprise protest.

“They’ve stopped the service and a lot of people, a number of people have left,” Lemon said during his livestream. “A surprise effort here, obviously, and the folks here are not happy about it.”

Minaj exploded on social media hours later. She shared a photo of a Chucky doll and wrote: “DON ‘C— SUCKIN’ LEMON IS DISGUSTING. HOW DARE YOU? I WANT THAT THUG IN JAIL!!!!! HE WOULD NEVER DO THAT TO ANY OTHER RELIGION. LOCK HIM UP!!!!!”

The “Super Bass” rapper doubled down with another post. She retweeted content slamming Lemon for his interracial marriage and other allegations, adding, “True or False? #ArrestDonLemon.”

DON ‘C### SUCKIN’ LEMON IS DISGUSTING.

HOW DARE YOU?

I WANT THAT THUG IN JAIL!!!!!

HE WOULD NEVER DO THAT TO ANY OTHER RELIGION.

LOCK HIM UP!!!!! pic.twitter.com/xoQBl9KDJY

— Nicki Minaj (@NICKIMINAJ) January 19, 2026

Trump’s reshared post connected the incident to the FACE Act. The original poster claimed elderly women received 40-year sentences for protesting at abortion clinics under the same law.

Conservatives accused Lemon of violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act. The 1994 law makes it illegal to prevent people from obtaining reproductive health services or exercising religious freedom at places of worship.

The feud highlights the long-running animosity between Trump and Lemon. Trump has repeatedly called Lemon “the dumbest man on television” since 2018.

Their beef escalated in August 2018 when Trump attacked both LeBron James and Lemon after the basketball star criticized the president in a CNN interview.

“Lebron James was just interviewed by the dumbest man on television, Don Lemon,” Trump tweeted. “He made Lebron look smart, which isn’t easy to do.”

Trump continued targeting Lemon during his presidency. In May 2019, he mocked CNN’s ratings while attacking Lemon again.

Minaj’s transformation into a MAGA supporter shocked many fans. The Trinidad-born rapper once criticized Trump’s immigration policies, even rapping “Island girl, Donald Trump want me go home” in 2016.

But Nicki Minaj has embraced conservative causes in recent months. She appeared at Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest convention in December, praising Trump and JD Vance as leaders she admired.

She accidentally called Vance “an assassin” during the event, but was quickly forgiven. “I love this woman,” said Erika Kirk, widow of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

Minaj also collaborated with the Trump administration on awareness about Christian persecution in Nigeria. She delivered a speech at the United Nations in November about religious violence.

The rapper’s political shift has cost her support. Two online petitions demanding her deportation to Trinidad have gathered over 120,000 signatures.

Nicki Minaj came to America as an undocumented child and previously spoke out against Trump’s family separation policies.

Some speculate she wants Trump to pardon her husband, Kenneth Petty, a registered sex offender, though presidential pardons don’t cover state convictions.

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