Trump Calls the Nicki Minaj Press Secretary Idea 'a Good Idea' - and Announces Nothing
Asked by Benny Johnson whether Nicki Minaj should be considered for White House press secretary, President Donald Trump said he would think about it. A fact check of the viral claim is blunt: no appointment, no candidacy, no vetting.
President Donald Trump has responded to a suggestion that rapper Nicki Minaj could become White House press secretary - and his answer, carried carefully, is a compliment rather than a personnel move. In an interview with commentator Benny Johnson, Trump called the suggestion 'a good idea' and said he would think about it, according to Parade's report of the exchange. He then turned the same line on Johnson himself, saying Johnson would be pretty good at it too.
The suggestion started as a joke inside the White House's own orbit. Communications Director Steven Cheung posted a video talking about Trump's economic record and jokingly said Minaj could become the next press secretary; Minaj shared the clip with an American flag and a smiling, sweating emoji. Minaj had appeared alongside Trump at his October 25 campaign rally in Port Huron, Michigan, where she spoke in support of his presidency.
What has not happened matters as much as what was said. Trump did not announce an appointment, did not confirm that Minaj is being considered, and no White House statement has indicated that any vetting process is underway. A fact check published today rated the stronger viral claim - that Trump is considering Minaj for the job - false, describing his response as non-committal and light-hearted.
The press secretary position itself has been vacant since mid-October, according to that fact check, with the administration focused on the midterm elections three days from now. For Austin's politics readers, the verified story is the exchange itself and its limits: a president enjoying a viral suggestion on camera, and a job that remains, as of this filing, unfilled by anyone.
