Trump described as behaving like a ‘drunk uncle’ by CNN panelist after he compliments Nicki Minaj’s ‘beautiful skin’ and nails

President Donald Trump’s praise for the rapper did not go down well with panellists on CNN’s NewsNight, who pointed to his long history of divisive rhetoric on race NewsWorldAmericasUS politicsTrump described as behaving like a ‘drunk uncle’ by CNN panelist after he compliments Nicki Minaj’s ‘beautiful skin’ and nailsPresident Donald Trump’s praise for the rapper did not go down well with panellists on CNN’s NewsNight, who pointed to his long history of divisive rhetoric on raceJoe Sommerlad Thursday 19 February 2026 14:27 GMTBookmarkCommentsGo to commentsBookmark popoverRemoved from bookmarksClose popoverTrump praises Nicki Minaj's skin and nails at Black History Month eventYour support helps us to tell the storyRead moreSupport NowFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. 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We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference.Read morePresident Donald Trump has been likened to a “drunk uncle” by a CNN panelist after he complimented the rap star Nicki Minaj on her “beautiful skin” at a White House event honoring Black History Month Wednesday.Trump used the event to reel off a list of his Black “friends” in defense of his record on race, introducing his only African-American Cabinet member, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner, and other guests before launching into praise of Mike Tyson and other celebrities.“From jazz to the blues – that you do get recognition for!” the president chuckled in praise of Black cultural contributions, going on to name-check Chuck Berry and Muddy Waters before arriving abruptly at Minaj.“Do we love Nicki Minaj?” he asked. “I love Nicki Minaj. She was here a couple of weeks ago. So beautiful. Her skin is so beautiful. I said, ‘Nicki, you’re so beautiful.’ Her nails are like that long. “‘I said, Nicki, are they real?’ She said she didn’t want to get into that, but she was so beautiful and so great. And she gets it, more importantly, frankly, she gets it.”open image in galleryPresident Donald Trump speaks during the Black History Month reception at the White House on February 18, 2026 (Reuters)Reflecting on the address on CNN’s NewsNight Wednesday evening with moderator Abby Phillip, pundit Paul Mecurio observed: “He was like your drunk uncle at Thanksgiving! “Like, what are we doing? What was that? Why would he think that, based on his recent track record, that any of that flies?”Fellow panellist Ana Navarro said the tactic of citing minority friends was commonly used by people accused of discrimination.Phillip argued that Trump’s claims were undermined by his administration’s battle to take down a slavery exhibit in Philadelphia, a measure that, she said, “spoke very loudly.” Republican strategist Shermichael Singleton admitted, “The Pennsylvania thing is a bit concerning to me. I don’t understand why this would be a priority for any lower-level Cabinet person… It’s not necessary, it’s very divisive.”He warned that Trump risked “fragmenting” his diverse coalition of voters, whom he will rely on come this year’s midterms, if he continues to alienate them with such gestures.TW Arrighi, a former communications director to South Carolina GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham, raised the recent furore over the president reposting a meme featuring Barack and Michele Obama as apes, saying Trump’s doubling down and refusal to apologize had kept the story going unnecessarily.open image in galleryAna Navarro and Paul Mecurio discuss President Donald Trump's track record on race CNN's NewsNight on Wednesday February 18, 2026 (NewsNight/CNN)Arrighi said he believes the president is genuinely upset by being called a racist, but too frequently “steps on” his messaging.Navarro reminded the panel that the question of whether or not the president is prejudiced has a long history.“It’s not that people say that Trump is a racist, it’s that the [New York City] Housing Department in the 1970s said he and his father were racist,” she said.“It’s that the Central Park Five, for whom he demanded the death penalty and has never apologized, think he’s a racist. It’s just that, this week, he used the death of Jesse Jackson to attack Barack Obama in the statement he put out on Truth Social. Barack Obama, who lives rent-free in his head.“He has got a long track record. It’s calling the countries like I come from [Nicaragua] ‘s***hole countries,’ it’s saying that Haitians eat cats and dogs.