Gavin Newsom’s office fired back at speculation Nicki Minaj could become White House press secretary.
The California governor’s team posted a four-word response on X after White House communications director Stephen Cheung floated the rapper for the role: “We can only pray.” The post revived a months-long feud between the Democratic governor and the Queens-born artist, who has repeatedly targeted Newsom with the MAGA-coined nickname “Newscum.”
Cheung, 40, sparked the chatter on X by sharing a clip of Minaj praising President Donald Trump’s work ethic and business acumen. “Ladies and gentlemen, I think we may have found the new White House Press Secretary!” he wrote. The video showed Minaj at a Michigan rally Sunday, where she stood alongside Trump and Republican candidates Mike Rogers and John James to pledge her support.
“I looked good,” she wrote, quote-tweeting Cheung’s post with American flag and nervous laughter emojis.
The speculation gained traction after Katie Zacharia exited the press secretary role after just five days, returning to California. White House advisor Alex Bruesewitz added fuel by posting on X: “Hey Barbz, what do we think about this idea??” Fans of the “Beez in the Trap” singer, known as Barbz, responded enthusiastically. “Here for it!” one fan account replied. Another X user wrote: “She has spent years navigating difficult interviews, public scrutiny, and competing narratives. Those are transferable skills in political communications. She’s perfect!”
Minaj’s path to Trump fandom runs directly through her grievances with Newsom. At a January 2026 event promoting Trump Accounts, the Trinidad-born artist, 43, said of the governor: “He does not want to do anything credible with his time or life,” She told Time that Newsom “completely ignored” her after she reached out on X and through aides following criminal swatting incidents at her $20 million Beverly Hills home in 2022 and 2023. “He just completely ignored me, with all the money I spent in taxes,” she said.
The swatting episodes, which involve false emergency reports designed to draw armed police responses, became a flashpoint in Minaj’s political evolution. She has framed Newsom’s silence as a betrayal that pushed her toward Trump, culminating in Sunday’s Michigan appearance where she declared she would support him “forever and ever.”
The White House has not clarified whether staffers are seriously considering Minaj for the communications role. A White House spokesperson, reached for comment, referred inquiries back to Cheung’s post.
Newsom’s team has previously traded blows with the rapper. The governor’s “We can only pray” response landed as Minaj’s political star rises in MAGA circles, with her Michigan rally appearance marking her most prominent campaign moment yet.
The artist’s journey from pop culture provocateur to potential West Wing fixture reflects the blurred lines between entertainment and politics in Trump’s orbit. Her willingness to embrace controversy — and her massive social media following — mirror the communications style that defined Trump’s own political rise.
Minaj’s Michigan rally appearance came as she campaigns for Republican Senate candidate Rogers and gubernatorial hopeful James in a state Trump carried in 2024. The event showcased her evolution from Obama-era guest list regular to full-throated MAGA convert, a transformation she credits partly to her battles with California’s Democratic leadership.
Trump is scheduled to hold his next rally in Milwaukee.