Whether it’s podcasters, rappers, crypto bros, or entertainers, Donald Trump’s handlers seek to cultivate support from people Trump had almost certainly never heard of before.
Trump is a man of the 1980s who has long sought the support of and feuded with, celebrities of his own generation. But like most people Trump’s age — he is 78 — the former president doesn’t know who most young musicians are. A recent incident on the campaign trail illustrated this- and may have cost Trump politically.
Nicky Jam, a 43-year-old reggaeton entertainer, endorsed the former president last week. Jam, whose real name is Nick Rivera Caminero, appeared last week at a Trump rally in Las Vegas. He wore a MAGA hat and said, per Variety, “We need you. We need you back, right? We need you to be the president.”
But on stage at the same rally, Trump appeared under the impression that Nicky Jam is a woman, referring to him as “Latin music superstar Nicky Jam” and declaring, “Do you know Nicky? She’s hot!”
Stay up-to-date with the latest news!
Subscribe and start recieving our daily emails.
Trump has long considered “hot” to be the greatest compliment he can pay to a woman, although in Jam’s case, it couldn’t have been sincere because if he were aware of Nicky’s appearance, he would known Nicky was a man. Once Nicky came on stage, Trump appeared to have realized his mistake.
Trump: Latin music superstar Nicky Jam. Do you know Nicky? She’s hot
(Nicky Jam is a man) pic.twitter.com/njv0MxAgEB
— Kamala HQ (@KamalaHQ) September 14, 2024
Judging by the applause in the crowd, it doesn’t appear the majority of the Trump faithful in attendance that night realized the mistake, or had ever heard of Nicky Jam either. At any rate, the mistake clearly overshadowed any attention the endorsement itself might have earned.
As a result of the gaffe, per The Daily Beast, Nicky Jam may have distanced himself from Trump.
The report stated that Nicky had made light of Trump’s gaffe in an Instagram post in which he referred to himself as a “hot woman” in Spanish, followed by 22 crying-laughing emojis, although he later deleted that post. He also deactivated the comments section of a different post, although Nicky Jam has not specifically stated that he no longer supports Trump.
View this post on Instagram
Also, a band called Manà deleted their past collaboration with Nicky, stating “Manà no Trabaja con racistas” (“Manà does not work with racists.”) And Dreamers, and other supporters of DACA, have criticized Nicky Jam, who was supportive of their cause in 2018, when Trump was president and moved to rescind DACA.
More than the misgendering, the episode shows Trump’s insincerity, in touting both his appreciation for Nicky Jam’s endorsement, and his looks, despite very clearly having no idea until that moment who Nicky Jam was.
Featured image via Political Tribune Gallery.
