After a joint appearance with President Trump this week, the rapper Nicki Minaj flaunted what appeared to be a pricey gift that caught the attention of the hip-hop and immigration advocacy communities alike.
She posted an image of a Trump “gold card,” the expedited visa offered to those willing to pay $1 million. But Ms. Minaj, who just hours before said she was Mr. Trump’s “No. 1 fan,” suggested that she had not spent a dime.
“Finalizing that citizenship paperwork as we speak as per MY wonderful, gracious, charming President,” added Ms. Minaj, who has said previously that she came to the United States illegally. “I wouldn’t have done it without you.”
And if that was not clear enough: “Gold Trump card free of charge,” she wrote, alongside an image of the horror-film character Chucky giving the middle finger.
The post prompted questions. Had a Grammy-nominated rap star — and one of Mr. Trump’s newest political allies — circumvented the backlogged immigration system to receive a luxury visa for free?
Turns out, all Ms. Minaj got was a gold-colored card bearing Mr. Trump’s face. A White House official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to describe the gift, said the gold card was simply a “memento” rather than a “visa document.”