Donald Trump is once again calling for an arrest over the brawl between Nicki Minaj and Don Lemon.
On January 18, after covering an ICE protest at a Minnesota church, the president amplified a Truth Society post calling for Lemon to face 40 years in prison.
Mina has launched a series of posts on X attacking Lemon. After he live-streamed activists confronting a pastor during a church service, Mina called him a homophobic slur and called for his arrest.
The controversy began when protesters disrupted services at St. Paul’s City Church. Their target was David Easterwood, who serves as both chaplain and acting director of ICE’s St. Paul office.
Lemon was live-streaming on his YouTube channel when the confrontation occurred. He told the audience that after the unexpected protest, services were stopped and many people left.
“They stopped service and a lot of people left,” Lemon said on the livestream. “Obviously, the effort here is amazing, but people here are not happy about it.”
Hours later, Minaj exploded on social media. She shared a photo of a Chucky doll and wrote: “Don’t drink lemon that’s disgusting. How dare you? I hope that thug goes to jail!!!! He would never do this to any other religion. Lock him up!!!!”
The “Super Bass” rapper posted yet another post. She retweeted content slamming Lemon’s interracial marriage and other accusations, adding, “True or false? #ArrestDonLemon.”
Don’t smoke lemons, it’s disgusting.
How dare you?
I hope that thug goes to jail! ! ! !
He would never do this to any other religion.
Lock him up! ! ! ! pic.twitter.com/xoQBl9KDJY
— Nicki Minaj (@NICKIMINAJ) January 19, 2026
Trump retweeted the incident linking the incident to the FACE Act. The original poster claimed that under the same law, older women were sentenced to 40 years in prison for protesting at abortion clinics.
Conservatives accused Lemon of violating the Free Clinic Access Act. The 1994 law makes it illegal to prevent people from accessing reproductive health services or exercising religious freedom in places of worship.
The feud underscores the long-standing animosity between Trump and Lemon. Since 2018, Trump has repeatedly called Lemon “the stupidest person on television.”
The feud escalated in August 2018 when Trump attacked LeBron James and Lemon after they criticized the president during a CNN interview.
“LeBron James just got interviewed by the dumbest man on television, Don Lemon,” Trump tweeted. “He made LeBron look smart, but that’s not easy to do.”
Trump continued to target Lemon throughout his presidency. In May 2019, he mocked CNN’s ratings while attacking Lemons again.
Minaj’s transformation into a “MAGA” supporter shocked many fans. The Trinidad-born rapper has criticized Trump’s immigration policies, even rapping “Island girl, Donald Trump wants me to come home” in 2016.
But in recent months, Nicki Minaj has begun to support conservative causes. In December, she appeared at Turning Point USA’s America Day conference and praised Trump and J.D. Vance as leaders she admired.
She accidentally called Vance “assassin” at the event, but was quickly forgiven. “I love this woman,” said Erica Kirk, the widow of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
Mina has also worked with the Trump administration to raise awareness about the persecution of Christians in Nigeria. In November, she gave a speech on religious violence at the United Nations.
The rapper’s political shift has cost her support. Two online petitions calling for her deportation to Trinidad have gathered more than 120,000 signatures.
Nicki Minaj came to the United States as an undocumented child and has previously spoken out against Trump’s family separation policy.
Some have speculated that she wants Trump to pardon her husband, Kenneth Petty, a registered sex offender, although a presidential pardon does not include a state conviction.
