Fact Check: Is Nicki Minaj replacing Karoline Leavitt as the new WH Press Secretary?
WASHINGTON, DC: Following the announcement that Karoline Leavitt is stepping down as the White House Press Secretary by the end of this month, a rumor began circulating on social media platforms claiming that rapper Nicki Minaj will be the new Press Secretary. The claim has triggered speculation and calls for a fact-check into the rumor.
Claim: Nicki Minaj will be the new WH Press Secretary
According to the viral claim that surfaced on X, Nicki Minaj will be replacing Leavitt as the new Press Secretary at the end of this month.
The source of the claim was attributed to Deadline magazine, garnering more than two million views as of this writing.
While most of the comments under the post expressed disbelief and mocked the claim, a few others appeared to believe the rumor to be authentic given the rapper’s support for President Donald Trump.
Fact Check: The claim originated as satire
However, the claim is false, as there is no credible evidence that says Minaj is replacing Leavitt as the Press Secretary. There are also no reports from Deadline magazine that supports the viral rumor.
Also, there are no official announcements, statements, or press releases from the White House about such a replacement.
If the claim were true, it would have been widely covered by prominent news and even entertainment media outlets. A Google search for the claim also yielded no relevant results.
Although the post appears to be from the handle of ‘Pop Base,’ a popular online entertainment page, a look at its profile revealed that the handle is a parody version.
A fact-check by Grok confirmed the claim to be false, stating, “The claim is false. Karoline Leavitt is stepping down as White House Press Secretary at the end of August 2026, but there is no credible evidence that Nicki Minaj will replace her.”
Donald Trump announced Karoline Leavitt's departure
Trump on Wednesday, August 12, confirmed that Leavitt is stepping down as the Press Secretary, stating that she wants to spend more time with her family.
Trump announced the departure in a post on Truth Social, describing her as “one of my most trusted aides.”
“Our wonderful White House Press Secretary, and one of my most trusted aides, Karoline Leavitt, will be departing her role at the end of the month so she can spend more time with her beautiful young children and family,” Trump wrote.
