President Obama: I'm "Confident" Mariah Carey, Nicki Minaj Will "Sort Out" American Idol Feud

USMagazine, Tuesday, October 16, 2012, 5:13am (PDT)

Wonder if he'll give a definitive Team Nicki/Team Mariah answer during Tuesday's debate?

During a recent interview with Miami's DJ Michael Yo (on the Florida radio personality's "The Yo! Show"), President Barack Obama weighed in on the feud between the new American Idol judges when asked if he'd be able to put his diplomacy skills to work on the FOX singing competition. (In Charlotte, N.C. earlier this month, Carey and the "Starships" rapper got into an explosive argument during an audition.)

PHOTOS: Idol judges then and now

"I think they are going to be able to sort it out, I am confident," Obama, 51, shared. "I'm all about bringing people together, working for the same cause. I think both outstanding artists are going to be able to make sure that they're moving forward and not going backwards."

Obama offered an equally politic response when asked which of the two pop icons is his favorite.

"Mariah, she's done some events for us, I've gotten to know [her] and [husband] Nick [Cannon] and she's a wonderful lady," he explained. "Nicki, I don't know, but I've got her on my iPod."

PHOTOS: Nasty celeb feuds

Though it's unlikely he'll offer up any other thoughts on the Idol situation, on Tuesday, POTUS will participate in the second presidential debate with Republican hopeful Mitt Romney, during a town hall-style meeting at Hofstra University on Long Island.

Have a policy, personal or pop culture-related question you'd like to ask President Obama? Submit your questions now to askthepresident@usmagazine.com -- he'll answer select queries in next week's issue of Us Weekly, on stands Friday, Oct. 26!

This article originally appeared on Usmagazine.com: President Obama: I'm "Confident" Mariah Carey, Nicki Minaj Will "Sort Out" American Idol Feud