Trump's Michigan Rally for Mike Rogers Gets Upstaged by Nicki Minaj's Gucci Cameo

Trump's Michigan Rally for Mike Rogers Gets Upstaged by Nicki Minaj's Gucci Cameo

A Two-Hour Rally Nine Days Out in Port Huron

President Donald Trump rolled into Port Huron, Michigan, on Sunday, October 25, for a roughly two-hour rally at the McMorran Place Sports & Entertainment Center, stumping for Republican Senate nominee Mike Rogers and gubernatorial candidate John James. With the November 3 midterms just nine days away, Trump urged the crowd to vote as if he were on the ballot himself, defending his tariffs and arguing that high gasoline prices were the price of keeping a nuclear weapon out of Iran's hands.

An Open Seat That Could Decide the Senate

Rogers is chasing the open Senate seat being vacated by retiring Democrat Gary Peters, facing Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed. The two clashed in their second and final televised debate just days earlier. Several polls show El-Sayed with a narrow lead, and Decision Desk HQ gives the Democrat a 67 percent chance of holding the seat — a contest that could determine control of the upper chamber.

Trump Unloads on El-Sayed With Metal-Detector Taunt

Trump devoted a large stretch of the rally to attacking El-Sayed, calling him a "jihadist," a "Muslim Brotherhood member," and a "violent terrorist" who wanted to install Sharia law in the United States. He declared El-Sayed would be "the only senator that will have to go through a metal detector before he's allowed to go into the Senate." Trump also veered into unproven claims of election fraud, singling out Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and telling supporters to "watch all those Detroit votes."

Rogers Keeps His Distance From the Rhetoric

Rogers declined to echo Trump's language. Asked on NBC's "Meet the Press" whether he agreed with the "terrorist" characterizations, he said the election was about "me versus Abdul," adding: "I've never called him a terrorist." At the debate, Rogers insisted his criticism targeted El-Sayed's politics, not his faith: "I wore the uniform of the United States to protect Americans' right to pray any way they want. This is not about Abdul's faith — it's about his extreme ideology."

Minaj Arrives by Air Force One in Head-to-Toe Gucci

The rally's scene-stealer was rapper Nicki Minaj, who flew in with Trump aboard Air Force One and walked beside him off the plane at Selfridge Air National Guard Base, dressed head-to-toe in Gucci. White House communications director Steven Cheung posted a mock press-briefing video of the two aboard the jet, joking: "Ladies and gentlemen, I think we may have found the new White House Press Secretary!" The gag landed amid a real vacancy after press secretary Katie Zacharia resigned after just five days.

A Beautiful Rear, a Standing Ovation, a Stolen Show

Trump made sure nobody missed his guest. "By the way, I looked at one hell of a beautiful ass before — Nicki Minaj," he told the roaring crowd. "That's hard to miss! Stand up! That's hard to miss!" Minaj rose to cheers and a thumbs-up. Trump joked he had "made the mistake" of saying he'd looked at a man's rear, adding: "Off the record — women, yes, men, no, okay?" Minaj then led the arena in a "We love Trump" chant and shouted out Rogers and James by name.

If You Run Again, I Will Support You Again

In her short speech, Minaj said Trump had "changed the energy of our country" and "given us a future to look forward to." She added: "We don't want our children to be bombarded with sex changes. We want people to leave the children alone." Closing, she told Trump: "It is an honor to stand with you every single time, and I will continue to support you forever and ever. If you run again, I will support you again." Trump introduced her as a "special person" and the "Queen of Rap."

Democrats Counter With Obama and Sanders

Democrats matched the star power. Former President Barack Obama rallied in Detroit on Saturday, October 24, alongside El-Sayed and gubernatorial nominee Benson — the same day Michigan's statewide early in-person voting period began. El-Sayed was booked Sunday evening with Senator Bernie Sanders at DeVos Performance Hall in Grand Rapids, making the closing weekend a full-blown proxy war in the battleground state.

Gas Prices, Greenland, and a Soft Spot for AOC

The speech wandered far beyond the Senate race. Trump acknowledged Americans were "taking a hit" on gasoline — AAA put the national average near $4.30 a gallon, versus just above $3 a year earlier — and touched on owning Greenland, Christmas, and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: "Somehow, I don't mind AOC that much. I don't know why. She doesn't bug me too much." Port Huron, a border city squeezed by his tariff war with Canada, was hosting a president for the first time in St. Clair County history.

Nine Days to a Verdict That Reshapes the Map

With early voting underway, the race is a pure base-mobilization sprint: Rogers tying El-Sayed to Muslim Brotherhood donors and Hamas-linked money, El-Sayed branding Rogers a "sock puppet" for Trump and running "MAGA bingo" on his debate talking points. In nine days, Michigan's open seat will help decide the Senate — and Sunday showed both parties know it.