Pop icon Cyndi Lauper has addressed Nicki Minaj’s outspoken support for Donald Trump after she collaborated with the rapper back in 2023.
“Time After Time” singer Lauper, 73, is a long-time supporter of the Democratic Party and an active advocate for LGBT+ rights.
She previously allowed Minaj, 43, to sample her 1983 hit “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” on her Pink Friday 2 album and later joined her on stage for a performance in 2024.
In a new interview with The Guardian, Lauper was asked if she regrets the collaboration in the wake of Minaj’s friendship with the Republican president.
“No. First of all, I don’t believe in cancellation. And second of all, the fact that she did Girls Just Want to Have Fun musically – it’s a political thing anyway, babes,” Lauper told the newspaper.
“Girls just want to have fun. They’re entitled to a joyful experience in this world. Like it or not, we’re here. We’re not going out in the rice fields any more.
“Yes, rise up and put your foot down, and she did. I don’t know what she’s doing now.
She added: “But I still don’t think you cancel people, because otherwise there’s no room for discussion.”
Minaj joined Trump on stage at an event in January 2026 and said she was his “number one fan”.
Lauper previously took part in The Celebrity Apprentice in 2010, when it was hosted by Trump.
The “True Colours” singer said she has learned the importance of breaking bread with people from across the political spectrum.
She explained: “If you want people to listen to you, you need to listen to people.
“If you don’t let people evolve, what are you doing?”
Representatives of Minaj have been contacted for comment.
Minaj’s seemingly sudden MAGA conversion became clear in November 2025, when she personally thanked Trump for his threats against the Nigerian government over the alleged “killing of Christians”.
The so-called Queen of Rap had previously been a critic of the president. In 2016, she even sang the line, “Island girl, Donald Trump want me go home.”
But a month after praising him over his threats to Nigeria, Minaj gushed about his administration during a Turning Point USA panel alongside Erika Kirk, Charlie Kirk’s widow.
“This administration is full of people with heart and soul, and they make me proud of them,” Minaj said. “Our vice president, he makes me ... well, I love both of them. Both of them have a very uncanny ability to be someone that you relate to.”
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