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Nicki Minaj has always been divisive, but her recent string of political stunts has made her more controversial than ever. Her latest bit of political grandstanding has turned even more people against her. She’s facing backlash after posing outside a polling station during the midterm elections, despite serious questions about whether she’s even eligible to vote.

Nicki Minaj turns up at a New Hampshire polling station

Nicki Minaj turned up in the most unexpected of places on Nov. 3: outside a polling station in Derry, New Hampshire. The appearance was planned. A 27-year-old voter told The Boston Globe that she and other residents received a text message the day before, urging them to head to the polls for a chance to see Minaj.

According to the Globe, the meet-and-greet was part of a star-studded strategy to boost turnout and support Republican candidates on the ballot. Former Patriots Rob Gronkowski and Danny Amendola, boxers Mike Tyson and Floyd Mayweather, and ex-Red Sox third baseman Kevin Youkilis were also spotted at polling sites around the state. In the weeks before Election Day, several of these famous faces campaigned alongside President Donald Trump. Minaj joined Trump at a rally in Michigan in late October, and Amendola was scheduled to appear with the president at campaign events in Texas that same week. Minaj has also worked closely with the conservative group Turning Point USA.

Can Nicki Minaj even vote?

Minaj’s political involvement has drawn criticism for several reasons, but her latest appearance raised a pointed question: Can the “Super Bass” rapper even vote? In New Hampshire, almost certainly not. In 2024, Minaj said on TikTok that she is not a United States citizen. She was born in Trinidad and Tobago, moved to the U.S. at age 5, and was raised in Jamaica, Queens.

Since then, she’s cozied up to Trump and posted a photo of what she said was a free Trump “Gold Card,” the administration’s pathway to citizenship. In January, she said she was “finalizing that citizenship paperwork,” but she has never confirmed completing the process, something critics are sure she would have shared had it happened. An official said in January that she was a permanent resident.

Only U.S. citizens can vote in federal elections. Even if Minaj has become a citizen in recent months, there’s no indication she lives in or is registered to vote in New Hampshire, so she couldn’t have cast a ballot in the state where she was posing. Critics argued that she created a distraction at a polling station where she had no reason to be. Minaj has not publicly addressed questions about her eligibility since Tuesday’s appearance.

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