Not getting a selfie with MAGA’s favorite rapper is the latest insult being thrown around in an explosive Republican civil war.
On Saturday, a tense exchange between Senator Ted Cruz, 55, and former Trump campaign adviser Alex Bruesewitz devolved into a spat in which MAGA’s favorite rapper was invoked as a rhetorical jab.
“Sorry you’re still salty that I prevented you from getting a picture with Nicki Minaj after you came running after her like a school girl,” 29-year-old Bruesewitz wrote to Cruz at the end of a heated exchange on X.
The political strategist had initially called out Cruz after the senator expressed that he was “deeply concerned” about what he was hearing regarding President Donald Trump’s deal with Iran, joining other MAGA figures in voicing frustration over how the president is handling the war.
Bruesewitz was quick to challenge the senator for breaking ranks with the administration, writing: “Cool, Ted. No one asked you, bro. Stop trying to undermine the President and his administration.”
Cruz did not take lightly that someone 26 years his junior was calling him out, replying: “Hush, child. The adults are talking. I’m not your ‘bro.’” To which the younger Republican responded by bringing out the rap superstar.
The incident in question dates back to January, when the Trinidad-born rapper didn’t take a photo with Cruz, reportedly prompting frustration that was later directed at Bruesewitz.
“Sen. Ted Cruz really wanted a photo with @NICKIMINAJ backstage today but he did not get one. …and his team was not happy with Trump advisor Alex Bruesewitz, I’m told. Yes, for real,“ Politico’s Sophia Cai wrote on X at the time.
Minaj—who has declared herself “the president’s number one fan”—appeared alongside the president at a January event promoting Trump Accounts, an initiative aimed at helping parents save for their children, which at one point included taking backstage photos with fans that, notably, did not include Cruz.
At the time of the incident, Bruesewitz appeared concerned about whether people would be “upset” with him over it, posting on X: “This is getting a bit out of hand. Many people in D.C. have reached out about this reported interaction. There was nothing personal & I hope people aren’t actually upset with me. But who knows?”
The adviser also noted that Minaj was in a rush to get to the Oval Office during the event and didn’t have time to pose with everyone, though she did take “dozens of pictures with fans.”
Cruz’s communications director, Macarena Martinez, attempted to downplay the reports by sharing an image of Minaj speaking with Cruz at the event, with Bruesewitz laughing in the background.
Martinez’s post appeared to push back on suggestions of any tension at the event, though Saturday’s heated exchange between Cruz and Bruesewitz suggests it was not all laughs.
In a statement to the Daily Beast, Bruesewitz confirmed that the January incident in which Cruz missed out on a photo opportunity is “a true story. No further comment.”
Representatives for Cruz and Minaj did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
