After Vice President JD Vance publicly sided with her rival Nicki Minaj in a feud, Cardi B announced that she is considering leaving the United States permanently.
The Bronx rapper announced the shocking news during an Instagram Live session in Saudi Arabia, where she will perform at the Soundstorm music festival in Riyadh this weekend. Her comments came just days after Vance tweeted “Nikki > Cardi” in response to a now-deleted post from Minaj that appeared to praise the vice president.
Vance’s tweet marked an unprecedented moment as America’s second-highest elected official thrust himself into hip-hop’s most contentious rivalry. The vice president was responding to Minaj’s deleted post, which reportedly read “Vance>rant,” signaling her growing support for the Trump administration.
Vance’s public endorsement of Minaj over Cardi represents a dramatic escalation in the feud between the rappers, which now involves a hip-hop beef at the White House.
“I’m starting to dislike America,” Cardi B said during the livestream. “America makes me pay taxes. The Vice President tweets about me. I don’t really feel appreciated in America. Y’all need to convince me to come back.”
Khadi praised Saudi Arabia’s strict legal system during the live broadcast.
“I’m in Saudi Arabia and let me tell you my experience so far. It’s very strict. They put you in jail,” she explained. “They’re not kidding. You’re going to jail. Mess around and you’ll find out. It’s easy to follow the rules here, though.”
Saudi Arabia has some of the world’s toughest penalties for a variety of violations.
The kingdom enforces strict public decency laws, which impose fines of up to 6,000 Saudi riyals for indecent behavior and 2,000 riyals for unauthorized photography. More serious crimes could result in imprisonment, flogging, or even execution.
Despite these strict laws, Saudi Arabia has been actively attracting young people and international artists as part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s “Vision 2030” initiative. The country has invested billions in entertainment infrastructure, hosting major music festivals, comedy shows and sporting events as it seeks to diversify its economy away from oil.
Cardi will be in Saudi Arabia to host the three-day Soundstorm Festival, which will take place in Riyadh from December 11 to 13.
Featuring more than 200 artists, including Post Malone, Calvin Harris and Swedish House Mafia, the event represents the Kingdom’s efforts to become a global entertainment destination.
“Honey, the people here are hip,” Kadi said of her experience in Saudi. “They are very polite. They will not look at you through the eyes of a poor person.” She especially praised the shopping and dining experience here, “I like all the tax-free, duty-free and discounted things.”
The kingdom’s entertainment boom has transformed Saudi society, with young Saudis now attending mixed-gender concerts and festivals that would have been unthinkable just a few years ago.
However, this cultural openness coexists with continued political repression and strict social control.
The rapper joked about adhering to Saudi rules during an Instagram Live on Wednesday, saying: “I don’t like cigarettes. I don’t like marijuana. I don’t like hookah. I don’t like anything. I don’t like anything. I don’t like anything.”
