Nicki Minaj rips Abdul El-Sayed over 'raging jealousy' and tells him to 'mend his heart'
WASHINGTON, DC: Rapper Nicki Minaj has weighed in on the latest controversy in Michigan’s closely watched Senate race, telling Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed to “mend his heart” after his remarks about Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s childhood.
Minaj, a vocal Trump supporter, said she heard anger and jealousy in the comments by El-Sayed.
If you listen carefully it’s a misplaced anger at his own parents for not making him feel worthy that turned into raging jealousy of other children who had parents that lifted them up and poured into them. He’s projected all of that onto white people. He needs to mend his heart before thinking about running for any office. White ppl haven’t hurt him. He knows exactly who did. Notice how he doesn’t get the satisfaction he was craving when the interviewer simply anchors himself & doesn’t validate that experience. We should all do more of this. Don’t validate anyone’s experience for the sake of temporary bonding.
— Nicki Minaj (@NICKIMINAJ) October 31, 2026
What Abdul El-Sayed said about Pete Hegseth's childhood
Abdul El-Sayed's comments came in a Wednesday, October 28, interview on Hasan Minhaj’s podcast.
El-Sayed took aim at Hegseth’s high school athletic career, saying, “You know he would have rode the pine. He probably got to start 2 games his entire career, playing whatever sport it was.”
He went on to describe Hegseth’s parents as doting, in remarks that appeared to cast the defense secretary’s upbringing as a privileged one.
“His mom was making cake, she was wearing his jersey, she had a cap made for him. You know the type,” he said.
He added, “Bro, I feel bad for you. Somebody told you you’re a lot better than you really are.”
El-Sayed also said, “There’s something about being a brown kid whose parents, no matter what you do, you’re never enough.”
Minaj reacted on X, reading the remarks as something deeper.
“If you listen carefully it’s a misplaced anger at his own parents for not making him feel worthy,” she wrote, saying it had turned into “raging jealousy” of children whose parents supported them.
Well said
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 31, 2026
“He needs to mend his heart before thinking about running for any office,” she added.
She also praised Minhaj for staying steady instead of affirming the point.
“Don’t validate anyone’s experience for the sake of temporary bonding,” she wrote.
Elon Musk replied to her post with two words: “Well said.”
Little man syndrome; Abdul has no idea what he's talking about. Proud to say, as Pete's dad, he was an absolute star on the court in HS. Captain, all-conference, all-state player...earned! We parents cheered him on, yes. That's what families do-support each other. #Envy makes him bitter.
— Brian Hegseth (@brianhegseth) October 30, 2026
Hegseth’s father, Brian, a high school basketball coach, also answered on X.
He said El-Sayed has “no idea what he’s talking about,” called his son “an absolute star on the court” in high school and wrote that “envy makes him bitter.”
Nicki Minaj's shifting ties with Trump
Minaj’s political path has shifted over the years.
In 2018, she condemned Trump’s immigration policies, and in 2020 she said she would not “jump on the Donald Trump bandwagon.”
By December 2025, she was on stage at Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest with Erika Kirk, praising Trump and Vice President JD Vance.
In January, at the Trump Accounts Summit in Washington, she held hands with the president and called herself “probably the president’s No. 1 fan,” pledging between $150,000 and $300,000 to the program.
On October 25, she flew to Port Huron, Michigan, on Air Force One and joined Trump at a rally for Republican Senate nominee Mike Rogers and gubernatorial candidate John James.
“If you run again, I will support you again,” she told the president.
