Nicki Minaj joins Trump on stage in Michigan: 'He changed the energy of the country'

Rapper Nicki Minaj joined US President Donald Trump on stage at a Republican rally in Port Huron, Michigan, on Sunday, telling the crowd he had "changed the energy of the country" and urging them to vote for his party's candidates in the 3 November midterm elections, the BBC reported.

"He's given us a future to look forward to," Minaj said. "We really need all these great people to be elected, because this is a major turning point for our country."

What happened on stage

Minaj, in a gold Gucci suit, led the crowd in chanting Trump's name and the names of Michigan's Republican candidates. Trump called her up after a crude remark about her looks, then said he hoped she was not "insulted". As she left he added: "She gets it. She's smart."

She had flown to Michigan with Trump on Air Force One, and posted a video on X from the plane in which she pretended to interview for the White House press secretary job, a post now vacant after Katie Zacharia left five days after a shaky debut, the BBC said. Al Jazeera also ran footage of the exchange.

Why Michigan matters

Michigan holds one of the closest Senate races of the cycle. Democrat Abdul El-Sayed is in a tight contest with Republican Mike Rogers, with just over a week to go. Former president Barack Obama campaigned with El-Sayed on Saturday. Trump's speech also renewed his attacks on El-Sayed's background, which the Democrat has called Islamophobic.

The 3 November vote decides which party controls Congress for the rest of Trump's term. Trump goes into it weak: his approval fell to a record low of 31% in a Reuters/Ipsos poll last week, as we reported. On the money side, Elon Musk has been the biggest known donor of these midterms.

Minaj and Trump

The Trinidad and Tobago-born rapper, known for hits such as Super Bass, calls herself Trump's "number one fan", though she criticised some of his first-term policies. She has backed him in public before, including his "gold card" visa, which sells residency and a route to US citizenship to wealthy applicants.

When results come in, Pakistan time

Polls on 3 November close in the eastern US at 7pm or 8pm local time, which is 5am or 6am on Wednesday 4 November in Pakistan. Most House and Senate calls will come through Wednesday in PKT, with close races taking longer. Use our currency converter to follow the dollar against the rupee as markets react, and the dollar rate page for the open-market reading.