Nicki Minaj seemed to suggest that transgender kids are not “healthy” in a recent post trolling California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s (D) chances of becoming president.

“Imagine being the guy running on wanting to see trans kids,” Minaj wrote in a December 12 X post, along with an image of the Chucky doll from the Child’s Play horror franchise. “Not even a trans ADULT would run on that. Normal adults wake up & think they want to see HEALTHY, SAFE, HAPPY kids.”

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The Grammy-winning rapper, who has been cozying up to the current administration as of late, appeared to be referencing a viral quote from Newsom’s conversation with Ezra Klein on the December 10 episode of the New York Times columnist’s eponymous podcast. Toward the end of their conversation, Newsom brought up his position on transgender women and girls’ right to participate in women’s and girls’ sports, stumbling repeatedly when Klein pressed him on what, precisely, that position is.

“I don’t think it’s f—” Newsom said, seemingly stopping himself from saying the word “fair.” Newsom has stated repeatedly over the past year that he believes allowing trans kids to participate in sports on teams that align with their gender identity is “unfair.”

“I want to see trans kids—” Newsom continued, before stopping himself again to note that he has a transgender godson, and to tout his record of signing pro-trans legislation. But he went on to suggest that advancing trans people’s rights results in other people’s rights “being taken away.” He also suggested that he has been “canceled” for his stance on the issue — even as the Times described him as a “frontrunner” for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination.

Despite Newsom’s overly simplistic position on trans sports participation aligning with the anti-LGBTQ+ right’s moral panic over the issue, MAGA world — which apparently now includes Minaj — seized on his “I want to see trans kids—” quote. In characteristically troll-ish fashion, Elon Musk’s America PAC posted the quote along with a clip of the moment, as though it were a damning admission.

It’s unclear whether Minaj has actually listened to Newsom’s conversation with Klein — in which it seems reasonably clear that he meant to say something along the lines of: “I want to see trans kids thrive.” But her post came much closer to saying the quiet part out loud, i.e. that trans kids are not “healthy, safe, happy,” and that wanting to “see” trans kids in the world is tantamount to abuse — echoing some of the right’s most insidious anti-trans rhetoric.

On December 13, trans pop star Kim Petras — who previously collaborated with Minaj on the 2023 track “Alone” — appeared to respond to the rapper’s anti-trans implication.

“trans kids r healthy btw,” Petras wrote in an X post.

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