A notable public dispute has unfolded between rapper Nicki Minaj and California Governor Gavin Newsom, ignited by Newsom's recent remarks concerning transgender children. The controversy began on December 10, during Newsom's appearance on The Ezra Klein Show, where he expressed a desire to "see trans kids" and highlighted his extensive record of signing pro-trans legislation and advocating for the LGBTQ community. These comments, however, failed to impress Minaj, who unleashed a series of antagonizing posts on X (formerly Twitter) on December 12.

Minaj's criticisms were sharp and personal. She questioned Newsom's focus, writing, "Imagine being the guy running on wanting to see trans kids. Haha. Not even a trans ADULT would run on that. Normal adults wake up & think they want to see HEALTHY, SAFE, HAPPY kids." She further mocked him, stating, "Gavin is the cute boy who got everything handed to him b/c of how cute & sexy & hot & smoking he was. He thinks he’s Tom Cruise only difference is, his next mission IS impossible. He should get another leading role." Over the subsequent days, Minaj declared it the "end of the road" for Newsom, labeling him a "Career politician… nothing more than a Nicki Minaj ANTI."

While Newsom, who has a trans godson, did not directly address Minaj's callouts, he posted a video widely interpreted as a subtle jab at the rapper. The montage, captioned with only a mouth-zipped emoji, compiled clips of Newsom alongside President Donald Trump, for whom Minaj has shown increasing online support recently. The video was set to Megan Thee Stallion's Billboard Hot 100-topping track "Hiss." This 2024 song is broadly seen as a diss track against Minaj, particularly for lyrics such as "These h–s don’t be mad at Megan/ These h–s mad at Megan’s Law." This lyric gained specific relevance given Minaj's husband, Kenneth Petty, was ordered to register as a sex offender following a 1995 attempted rape conviction; Megan’s Law is a federal mandate requiring information disclosure about registered sex offenders.

Newsom's video further intensified its implied message by overlaying that specific "Hiss" lyric with a photo of Donald Trump standing next to Jeffrey Epstein, who faced charges for soliciting prostitution and sex trafficking. The video also included newly released pictures of the former president from Epstein’s estate. Minaj quickly responded to Newsom’s video with posts like "Oh gavvy Pooh the ppl behind you clearly don’t care about you" and "Pooh this won’t get the results you guys are hoping for… I can go 8 stages deeper." She added, "Let’s wait…I think Gavvy’s still transitioning," and shared a fabricated, edited image of herself humorously putting Newsom in a headlock within a wrestling ring, escalating the digital spat.