The judges for Kelly Loeffler's business competition are Nicki Minaj and Grant Cardone.
Posted by Bulwark Takes, Checked
- Sources
- 5 contradict3 context
- Said
- 1 time·
- Confidence
- 80%
Bulwark TakesSep 5, 2026
The SBA's own August 31, 2026 announcement confirms Nicki Minaj and Grant Cardone as judges of its Million Dollar Pitch Competition, but it names a third judge, Airbnb co-founder Joe Gebbia, so the claim that the judges are only Minaj and Cardone is incomplete.
Our two reads of who says this, and how, disagree, so it counts as the post's own claim.
This claim is about the present, so it is judged as of the day it was checked.
What was said
… After the video, visitor from another planet, for sure. She's got a contest, just a blatant ripoff of The Apprentice. Why don't we play the video? They're giving away a million dollars, and they got some weird judges for it. Let's play it. You just put together a contest, and the judges are, uh, Mickey Minaj, Grant Cardone, and it'll be hosted by the, the great Dean Came. Well, so, and you, you have already, we've already found businesses that are fighting to win, potentially, a million dollars. We have five finalists. …
Bulwark Takes · · from the transcriptPost →What we found
Contradicts. The same SBA release and multiple outlets list Joe Gebbia as a third judge alongside Minaj and Cardone, so the claim that the judges are Minaj and Cardone omits a judge.[2][3][4][5][6]
Supports. The SBA's August 31, 2026 release names Nicki Minaj and Grant Cardone as members of the judging panel for the Million Dollar Pitch Competition.[2]
Supports. Coverage from Billboard, Black Enterprise, and Yahoo confirms Minaj and Cardone as judges, with Dean Cain as host, as of early September 2026.[4][5][6]
Context. Kelly Loeffler is the SBA administrator, and the competition is an SBA initiative, so the 'Loeffler's business competition' framing matches the sources.[1][7][8]
Sources
8 sources: 1 fact-checker, 1 primary, 6 not rated
- 1A Complete Guide to Trump's Cabinet Appointeessnopes.com · fact-checker · cited for: context
- 2SBA Unveils All Star Lineup for Million Dollar Pitch Competitionlegacy.sba.gov · primary source · cited for: contradicts, supports
- 33 of Trump Admin's New Competition Show “Finalists” Are Military ...truthout.org · not rated · cited for: contradicts
- 4Nicki Minaj Is a Judge for Trump-Backed $1M Business Pitch Contest: ‘This Is a Major, Major Key'billboard.com · not rated · cited for: contradicts, supports
- 5Nicki Minaj To Judge Trump's $1M SBA ‘Shark-Tank' Competitionblackenterprise.com · not rated · cited for: contradicts, supports
- 6Trump Administration Taps Nicki Minaj to Judge $1M ' ...yahoo.com · not rated · cited for: contradicts, supports
- 7Trump Taps Bizarre MAGA Trio for New Reality TV Stuntthedailybeast.com · not rated · cited for: context
- 8Trump admin's 'Apprentice'-like competition is coming. What to knowthenewstribune.com · not rated · cited for: context
Where this claim was made
Said in 1 published post
Related claims
- A competition featuring a million-dollar prize and judges including Nicki Minaj and Grant Cardone will take place on September 18 in Washington.True
- Kelly Loeffler is hosting a business competition that offers a one million dollar prize.True
- Nicki Minaj is being considered for the position of press secretary for Donald Trump.Can’t tell
- Nikki Minaj has a chance of being appointed press secretary.True
- Keisha Lance Bottoms is running for governor of Georgia.True