From Hip Hop To Hemispheric Politics: Nicki Minaj And Trinidad’s PM Meet At Trump’s Doral Summit

News Americas, MIAMI, FL, Thurs. Mar. 12, 2026: A moment that blended global pop culture with hemispheric diplomacy unfolded in South Florida over the weekend when Trinidad-born superstar Nicki Minaj met Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar during a reception following U.S. President Donald Trump’s Shield of the Americas Summit in Doral.

Nicki Minaj meets Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar at President Trump’s Shield of the Americas Summit reception in Doral, blending Caribbean culture with hemispheric politics.

The brief meeting between the world-famous rapper and the Caribbean leader quickly went viral after Minaj shared a video and message with her more than 26 million followers on social media.

“She’s in the ‘boys club’ of politics & I’ve been in the ‘boys club’ of Hip Hop,” Minaj wrote on X. “It was such an honour to meet the Prime Minister of my birth country @ President Trump’s Shield of the Americas summit today in Doral, FL.”

The post immediately sparked widespread reactions online, with thousands of fans celebrating the moment as a meeting of two influential Caribbean women who have each navigated male-dominated arenas – global music and national politics.

Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar later reposted Minaj’s message, responding: “Thank you Nicki Minaj for your kind words. Your global success continues to make Trinidad and Tobago proud.”

The encounter took place at a reception following the inaugural Shield of the Americas Summit hosted by President Trump at the Trump National Doral resort near Miami on March 7th.

The summit brought together leaders and representatives from roughly a dozen Latin American and Caribbean countries to launch a new regional initiative aimed at strengthening cooperation against drug cartels, organized crime and other transnational security threats.

Trump used the meeting to formally launch what his administration called the “Shield of the Americas,” a new multinational framework designed to coordinate intelligence sharing, law-enforcement cooperation and potentially military support among participating countries to combat criminal networks operating across the hemisphere.

Among the lone Caribbean leaders attending the summit were Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar, Guyana’s Irfaan Ali and Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader.

Major regional powers including Brazil, Mexico and Colombia were notably absent from the gathering. During his remarks, Trump emphasized a more aggressive approach to combating drug trafficking and organized crime in the region, including expanded military cooperation among partner nations.

But while the summit focused largely on geopolitics, security and regional strategy, the unexpected appearance of Minaj at the reception added a cultural dimension to the gathering. Born in Trinidad and raised in the United States, Minaj, once a Trump critic has now according to her own words, become “his biggest fan.” She is widely considered the best-selling female rapper of all time, with more than 100 million records sold worldwide.

Across social media platforms, many described Minaj and Persad-Bissessar as “two queens” of the Caribbean – one dominating global hip-hop and the other navigating the complex arena of international politics. Others highlighted the symbolism of two Trinidad-born women succeeding in spaces historically dominated by men.

The viral moment may have been brief, but it illustrated how Caribbean culture, diaspora influence and global politics increasingly intersect in unexpected ways.