What did Cardi B say about Donald Trump? Rapper rips into the President over L.A. protests
Rapper Cardi B, whose real name is Belcalis Marlenis Cephus, criticized President Donald Trump over his response to the ICE protests in Los Angeles. Taking to her X Spaces on Tuesday, June 10, 2025, the songstress addressed Trump's deployment of the National Guard and Marines to the city.
The Bodak Yellow hitmaker explained that she didn't think voicing her opinion would have helped. She added that it would have backfired, making the situation worse. She elaborated:
"Because Trump do not give one f**k about me or what I gotta say. I personally believe that he doesn’t like me. So if somebody don’t like you, and they say something or they do something, they’ll be like, ‘Oh word? Now I’m gonna show you."
According to NBC News, last week, L.A. saw demonstrations over the recent federal immigration raids in Southern California by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers. As the protests continued, local authorities, including the LAPD, California Highway Patrol, and the County Sheriff’s Department, made dozens of arrests. The crimes included murder, looting, arson, and failure to disperse, among others.
By Monday, Trump had deployed about 2000 National Guard members to the city. Further, 700 Marines had been mobilized to support the National Guard.
"He always gives dictatorship vibe"—Cardi B about Donald Trump's policies
In her X Spaces video, Cardi B explained that if she kept talking about the ICE raids, then Trump would "deport more people on purpose." She continued to note that she had no association with anyone in the White House anymore, stating:
"I don’t know nobody anymore in the White House. I don’t know a representative. I don’t know nobody in there. And if I talk about it every single day, he is not going to care."
The songstress further elaborated that she tried to "warn people" that "this was going to happen," referring to the current administration's deportation policies. Cardi B claimed:
"He always gives dictatorship vibe."
Elsewhere in the post, Cardi B urged Donald Trump to have compassion towards the targets of the ICE raids. She alleged that they had done a lot to "provide" for the country. She also warned her followers that the raids and the administration's immigration policies would only get worse with time.
This is not the first time Cardi B has called out Donald Trump. Ahead of the 2024 elections, she had criticized the Republicans' policies surrounding maternal and mental healthcare. She rhetorically questioned how the police "protect women" if they don't "support" women and give them the necessary "care."
Cardi B is not the only celebrity to criticize ICE. Artists like Tyler, the Creator, Finneas, Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong, and several others have spoken in support of the protestors so far.
Meanwhile, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced suing the current administration for deploying the National Guard without his request or consent. According to Billboard, Newsom called the action "illegal, immoral, and unconstitutional."
It is worth noting that Gavin has previously deployed the California National Guard only upon request from local law enforcement. According to NBC News, this was the first time that a state's National Guard was activated without a request from its governor.
