Christians in Syria saw the largest increase in persecution among any country in the world last year as regime change and terrorism threw the Islamic nation into chaos, according to the Christian organization Open Doors, which published its annual persecution watch list Wednesday morning.
The Open Doors <a href="https://www.opendoorsus.org/en-US/persecution/countries/">2026 World Watch List</a> revealed that Syria jumped up to No. 6 in overall Christian persecution, after coming in at No. 18 in last year’s list. Syria is now only behind North Korea, Somalia, Yemen, Sudan, and Eritrea.
Open Doors CEO Ryan Brown told The Daily Wire that the recent political turmoil in Syria is the main contributing factor to the increase in persecution.
“With the fall of the Assad regime and as HTS [Hay&#8217;at Tahrir al-Sham] came into power, it created a lot of vacuums of control and authority,” Brown said. “The rule of law is weak in a number of areas, and in that, there’s just been a number of extremists that have just stepped into those voids.”
Brown pointed to multiple recent Islamic terror attacks targeting Syrian Christians, such as the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/jihadist-suicide-bomber-kills-20-wounds-dozens-more-at-orthodox-church" target="_blank" rel="noopener">suicide bombing</a> in June, when a terrorist opened fire on worshipers and then detonated a suicide vest, killing more than 20 Christians and wounding over 50 more. Christians in Syria are more likely to come under attack from Islamic terrorists who are fighting for control of certain areas in the unstable country, not from the government, which is now led by former HTS leader Ahmad al-Sharaa.
“The church is coming under attack especially in these areas where the government is not having a strong rule of law as part of this transition,” Brown added. “Traditionally, in some of these areas in Syria where the rule of law has not been strong, the tribalism becomes the ruling force and provides safety. Christian converts from Islam are typically rejected from these tribal infrastructures.”
It remains to be seen if al-Sharaa, a former terrorist leader, will tolerate Christians in Syria if he establishes a firm grip on the country. So far, the new Syrian leader has been actively seeking to take out Islamic terrorists that remain in Syria.
President Donald Trump met with al-Sharaa at the White House as he seeks to broker peace in the Middle East. The meeting marked the first time a Syrian leader and former jihadist met with the President of the United States.
Brown said the 12-spot change in Syria&#8217;s ranking between 2025 and 2026 was the largest year-over-year move for any country on the persecution watch list in more than a decade.
Syria, Nigeria, Pakistan, Libya, and Iran round out the top 10 of countries where Christians experience the most persecution, meaning that eight out of the top 10 countries on the 2026 World Watch List are majority Muslim nations.
<h3>Nigeria Was The ‘Epicenter’ Of Violence Against Christians In 2025</h3>
More Christians in Nigeria, which came in at No. 7 on the list, were killed for their faith than in any other country. Open Doors reported that 3,490 Nigerian Christians were killed last year, which was an increase from the estimated 3,100 killed in 2024. For comparison, 1,359 Christians are estimated to have been killed for their faith in all other countries combined in 2025.
Brown told The Daily Wire that Nigeria didn’t rank No. 1 on the persecution list because Open Doors considers multiple factors, not just violence, when ranking countries.
“The World Watch List looks at danger, but looks at a number of other factors as well. Nigeria would be the deadliest place to be a Christian, not necessarily the most difficult because there are places in the country where Christians are able to freely worship,” Brown said. “But Nigeria continues to be an epicenter of violence in parts of the country, in parts of the middle belt as well as in the northern parts of the country.”
Recent violence against Christians in Nigeria <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trumps-next-peace-push-focuses-on-nigeria-and-sudan-where-christians-are-killed-by-the-thousands?author=Zach+Jewell&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Trump%E2%80%99s+Next+Peace+Push+Focuses+On+Nigeria+And+Sudan%2C+Where+Christians+Are+Killed+By+The+Thousands" target="_blank" rel="noopener">gained the attention</a> of President Trump, who has pressured the Nigerian government to do more to protect Christians and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-threatens-to-completely-wipe-out-the-islamic-terrorists-killing-nigerian-christians?author=Mary+Margaret+Olohan&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Trump+Threatens+To+%E2%80%98Completely+Wipe+Out+The+Islamic+Terrorists%E2%80%99+Killing+Nigerian+Christians" target="_blank" rel="noopener">threatened</a> to take out terrorists in the country if they continue to target them.
<h3>Iran Increased Pressure On Christians During Internal Turmoil And Conflict With Israel And U.S.</h3>
Iran, which ranks No. 10 on the World Watch List, has ramped up its crackdown on Christians in the country as they are viewed as “enemies of the state” and “agents of the West,” Brown explained.
The Iranian regime has arrested numerous Christians in recent months as it seeks to keep control amid growing tensions. The regime believes that Christians are influenced by the West and, therefore, plotting the overthrow of the government, and recent events have likely made the regime’s crackdown on Christians even harsher. Iran was humiliated in 2025 in its war with Israel and then by the United States, when President Trump ordered the U.S. military to strike Iranian nuclear sites.
Iran is in the midst of massive demonstrations as protesters have taken to the streets, mainly over the regime’s failure to address an economic collapse. Trump has warned that he could take more action against Iran if it massacres protesters. One report indicates that the Iranian government has killed at least 12,000 demonstrators.
<h3>China Continues To Target Christianity</h3>
China dropped from No. 15 on the list in 2025 to No. 17 this year, but the communist country remains brutal toward Christians. In September, the Chinese government began to monitor the online activity of Christians, especially clergymen, more closely.
“This was in continuation to the churches they closed down the previous year — there’s been an increase in that — but now looking to clamp down on some of the online activity of Christians in the area, making it difficult for them to communicate or to worship,” Brown said.
The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/china-escalates-persecution-of-christians-with-more-shocking-arrests" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> earlier this month that China arrested more prominent church leaders, detaining at least seven Christians affiliated with the Early Rain Covenant Church in Chengdu, a city in southwestern China.
Brown said that people in China also face persecution from their local communities when they convert to Christianity, adding that many converts lose out on job or school opportunities, while some get their water or electricity cut off.
See the full list, and read a detailed report on each country in this year&#8217;s list <a href="https://www.opendoorsus.org/en-US/persecution/countries/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.

Suicide Bombing Targets Church In Damascus, Leaving 20 Dead And Dozens Injured

2026 Watch List Reveals Biggest Increases In Christian Persecution Across The Globe

China

Christian Persecution

Christianity

Iran

Islam

Nigeria

Syria

We are at a critical moment in our shared history. A moment that calls for moral clarity and an unwavering commitment to justice. 
Christians around the globe are facing a genocide. And while President Donald Trump champions religious liberty in Syria after hosting the former al-Qaeda fighter-turned-president, Ahmad al-Sharaa, and declares <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/2025/11/trump-deserves-credit-for-focus-on-nigerian-christians/">Nigeria</a> a “country of particular concern” because of the slaughter of Christians, we cannot be naive.
Christian persecution is already here in America. Our nation is becoming a dangerous place for faithful believers to live.
We must stand up now for the persecuted not only as individuals but as a united front for our brothers and sisters around the world.
Policymakers, churches, and ordinary citizens have a moral responsibility to ensure our nation remains a beacon of hope and freedom for all, especially those persecuted for their faith.
I know something about persecution and the price of freedom. I grew up in Communist Romania, where the freedoms we now experience in America were stolen from its citizens. Speaking the truth meant imprisonment, torture, and even death. The government sought to control every thought, every word, every breath. That’s why I became a political refugee and found a new home in America in 1988.
A <a href="https://www.cato.org/blog/new-poll-74-worry-americans-could-lose-our-freedoms-were-not-careful">2024 Cato Institute survey</a> found that nearly 74% of Americans worry that if we’re not careful, Americans could lose their God-given freedoms and liberties. An out-of-control regime can gradually build persecution against Christians, making small, incremental changes that could go unnoticed until it is too late. I know. I lived it.
In Communist Romania, Nicolae Ceaușescu’s regime controlled religious organizations by appointing loyal leaders, restricting activities, and nationalizing properties. Atheism was promoted through education and propaganda, portraying Christianity as outdated. Religious groups faced pressure to align with state policies, with non-compliance leading to imprisonment, job loss, or death.
The legacy of this persecution continues to shape the religious landscape in Romania today.
While the extent and nature of persecution differ significantly between Communist regimes and contemporary American society, there are parallels in the experiences of marginalization, pressure to conform, and struggles for expression. The challenges faced by Christians today often manifest initially in social and cultural pressures rather than outright physical persecution. And we are beginning to see signs of it here.
That’s why I’m joining the “<a href="https://www.washingtonpolicyinstitute.org/events/persecuted-and-prevailing-addressing-christian-persecution-in-the-modern-world/">Persecuted and Prevailing”</a> panel on December 4, 2025, at the Museum of the Bible to promote the truth, amplify our voices, and push for legislative action to support Christians.
As a human rights attorney in Communist Romania, I defended Christians, experiencing firsthand America’s crucial support. Congressmen Frank Wolf and Christopher Smith met with me often to discuss my cases, raising awareness among U.S. policymakers and the public about Romania’s dire situation. Their efforts drew media attention to the plight of Romanian Christians under the thumb of Communism, creating urgency for supporting persecuted believers.
Wolf’s actions shaped U.S. foreign policy to prioritize religious freedom, and the global impact included co-sponsoring the <a href="https://www.congress.gov/114/plaws/publ281/PLAW-114publ281.pdf">International Religious Freedom Act</a> (IRFA) of 1998, which established a framework to combat religious persecution worldwide and monitor and recommend policies. The Congressman also backed resolutions condemning persecution in Iran, Sudan, North Korea, and China, reinforcing human rights as a cornerstone of U.S. foreign policy.
Now it’s our turn to carry the torch forward. Citizens who have the freedom to advocate for change must pressure policymakers to strengthen global religious liberty.
We are the voice for the persecuted who suffer in silence worldwide. If we fail to speak about oppression, like what I and many others endured in communist Romania, it will most certainly take root here. This generation needs to understand the fragile nature of freedom and the courage it takes to preserve it.
Using our voice and Constitutional rights to petition our government is the only way to protect our freedom and stand for truth. If we don’t use our voice today, we risk being silenced tomorrow.
When truth is distorted, freedom fades. Pray for discernment in a world clouded by lies. Live boldly, speak the truth in love, for true freedom flows from God’s presence, which has been with America since its founding. Remember, if God’s presence fades, so will our freedom.
* * *
<a href="https://www.virginiaprodanbooks.com/">Virginia Prodan</a> is an international human rights attorney, best-selling author of the memoir “<a href="https://virginiaprodanbooks.com/get-the-book-2/">Saving My Assassin</a>,” and host of the “<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/courageous-leadership-with-virginia-prodan/id1590554517">Courageous Leadership with Virginia Prodan</a>” podcast. She serves as an ambassador on the President’s Council for National Religious Broadcasters, a member of the Advisory Board of the American Christian Leaders for Israel, and an Allied Attorney with Alliance Defending Freedom.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
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Revolution Flag and Crowd at Polling Place

I Escaped Communist Romania. I Recognize The Early Signs Of Religious Persecution.

Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF)

Christians

Communism

Congress

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Murder

North Korea

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U.S. House of Representatives

Genocide doesn’t begin with weapons, it starts with words.
I saw it firsthand in Rwanda back in the 1990s.
“Are you Tutsi, Hutu, or Twa?” asked the teacher. A confused little girl was being reprimanded for not lining up properly. The question didn’t just divide a room, it foreshadowed a genocide.
The girl’s family had never spoken of tribes, they simply believed in letting children be children. That day, however, tribalism entered her life. Soon after, her parents were killed in the 1994 Rwandan genocide that claimed nearly a million lives.
What I witnessed in Rwanda decades ago echoes in today’s digital age.
Today’s tribalism hides in plain sight and it doesn’t carry machetes, it carries hashtags. Tribalism thrives in echo chambers, where social media turns strangers into enemies. It grows through cancel culture, where conversations are replaced by condemnation. It sharpens its edge with purity tests, where one mistake erases forgiveness. These aren’t harmless trends, they’re cracks that can split nations. “Othering” people puts everyone at risk.
Division begins quietly, with whispers. It ends violently, with annihilation.
<h3>Warning Signs Are Flashing Again</h3>
Before the Holocaust, the Jews were first singled out by prejudice, then by propaganda, followed by policy, and finally punishment. 
In Cambodia, intellectuals were targeted. 
In Bosnia, ethnic lines became death sentences. 
In Rwanda, ethnic identity was weaponized.
But persecution isn’t just a history lesson. History’s warnings aren’t relics, they are roadmaps. And right now, those same patterns are resurfacing. Across the globe, from Nigeria to North Korea, Christians are being targeted for practicing their faith. In the first century, Christians were burned alive to light Rome’s streets; now, in Nigeria, Afghanistan, Sudan, and beyond, believers are killed en masse for the same confession of faith.
The numbers are sobering: Persecution is no longer a fringe issue. Today, more than 380 million Christians worldwide endure high levels of persecution, according to  <a href="https://www.opendoors.org/en-US/persecution/countries/">Open Doors’ 2025 World Watch List</a>. In Nigeria alone, <a href="https://ewtn.co.uk/article-56000-killed-in-nigerias-ethnic-and-religious-violence-christians-disproportionately-affected/">16,769 Christians</a> have been killed in the last four years, a tragic pattern that has persisted since 2009.
Genocide never begins with weapons; it starts with whispers, quiet laws, subtle exclusions. If we fail to remember, fail to speak, fail to act, history will not just repeat; it will escalate. And that’s precisely why I’ll be joining other faith leaders to address the growing threat to Christians at the <a href="https://www.washingtonpolicyinstitute.org/events/persecuted-and-prevailing-addressing-christian-persecution-in-the-modern-world/">Persecuted and Prevailing</a> panel at the Museum of the Bible on December 4.
The suffering of Christians, or any group, must never be reduced to a talking point. Persecution is not a partisan issue, it’s a human dignity issue. Freedom is fragile, and its defense must unite us beyond party lines.
We must teach the next generation that ignorance breeds indifference and persecution isn’t political. It’s about human dignity, justice, and the value of life.
As Hebrews 13:3 reminds us: “Remember also those being mistreated, as if you felt their pain in your own bodies.” That wisdom feels urgent today. Silence enables suffering, and ignoring persecution normalizes it.
<h3>Why I Speak Out</h3>
I speak not from theory, but from experience.
As a student in 1992, I lived in Russia as it staggered out of 70 years of enforced conformity under Communism. Freedom had returned, but trust was broken. Conversations carried a quiet grief, as an entire generation awoke to the truth that their God-given right to worship and think critically had been stolen. The devastation wasn’t only economic, it was spiritual and psychological.
That moment taught me that when lies become law and truth becomes treason, society unravels. Division doesn’t erupt overnight, it is cultivated through propaganda, fear, and silence. The lessons from Soviet Russia warn us that when words are weaponized, freedom dies long before the first shot is fired.
Years later, on the 10th anniversary of Rwanda’s genocide, I stood in villages still scarred by tribalism and visited prisons filled with remorseful men and women who’d been swept into the blindness of division. I met families led by children because their parents had been slaughtered. I worked to reunite Sudan’s “Lost Boys” with any family they had left after walking hundreds of miles to escape war. I remember their faces. I carry their stories. But my children and their entire generation don’t. They scroll headlines and hear fragments, but they don’t feel the weight of what I saw. That’s why I speak, and why we all should. If we don’t, history will whisper its warnings into an empty room.
<h3>The Choice Ahead</h3>
To Gen Z, educators, and parents, I say this: You hold the pen that writes tomorrow’s story. Will it be a tale of courage or complacency? Will we raise a generation that can spot propaganda, or one that repeats history’s mistakes?
Persecution anywhere is a threat to freedom everywhere. Our classrooms should teach more than dates and facts, they should teach empathy, vigilance, and responsibility. This is not about scoring political points or comparing pain. It’s about defending the dignity of every human life.
When we ignore any kind of persecution, we erode the foundation of freedom itself. History is not just a record of the past — it’s a warning for the future. Silence is not neutral — it’s surrender. And the cost of indifference is always paid in human lives.
The choice is ours. The time is now.
* * *
<a href="https://kerryhasenbalg.com/">Kerry Hasenbalg</a> is a writer, speaker, and tireless advocate for faith, freedom, and human dignity. As the founder of <a href="https://www.becomingfoundation.org/">The Becoming Foundation</a> and former Executive Director of the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute, Kerry has shaped global child welfare policy and worked in post-conflict regions to advance healing and justice. Follow her on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/kerryhasenbalg/">Instagram</a>.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
50% off DailyWire+ annual memberships will not return for another year, so don’t miss this deal! Join now at <a href="http://dailywire.com/cyberweek">DailyWire.com/cyberweek</a>.

Rwanda Commemorates 31st Anniversary Of Tutsi Genocide

The Quiet Divide That Precedes Genocide – And Why We Must Act Now

Africa

Bible

Cancel Culture

genocide

Religion

When Nicki Minaj stepped up to the podium at the United Nations on November 18th, wearing a somber black suit instead of her usual bubblegum pink, one of the world’s most influential rap artists became one of the most unexpected voices to join the fight against Christian persecution in Nigeria.
“In Nigeria, hundreds of communities live in fear simply because of how they worship,” she said. “Protecting Christians is not about taking sides, and it is not about dividing people. It is about uniting humanity.”
Her appearance was arranged by United Nations Ambassador Michael Waltz, who has spent the past several months pushing world leaders to acknowledge the religious genocide in Africa’s most populous and economically successful nation. “We are witnessing atrocities,” Waltz declared earlier in the session. “One bullet at a time, one torched Bible at a time.”
The unlikely partnership between the superstar and former counterterrorism officer came at a moment when the mass Christian killings in Nigeria have triggered the most direct American criticism of Nigeria’s government in decades. President Donald Trump recently reinstated Nigeria’s designation as a “Country of Particular Concern,&#8221; a formal label that opens the door to sanctions, aid restrictions, and military pressure.
A Crisis Long in the Making
Violence in Nigeria’s central and northern regions is not new, and the perpetrators come from a variety of Muslim groups, from Fulani herder militias in the Middle Belt to Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province jihadis in the North. Leery of seeming critical of Islam, legacy media outlets have for years regurgitated the narrative of the Nigerian government, shying away from characterizing the attacks as religious persecution. Instead, they’ve cited secondary causes — land disputes, ethnic tensions, weather-related displacement — that sometimes overlap with religious motives.
But in several recent congressional hearings, press briefings, and policy papers, consistent evidence has emerged that Christian communities, particularly in rural regions, are being disproportionately targeted specifically because they are Christians. The numbers vary, depending on the source, but even the most conservative estimates are grim. Advocacy organizations report 7,000 Christians killed and 7,900 abducted this year alone, with more than 19,000 churches destroyed. In a <a href="https://rileymoore.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-moore-introduces-resolution-condemning-persecution-christians" target="_blank" rel="noopener">resolution</a> condemning the religious violence, Texas Congressman Riley Moore noted that as many as 100,000 Christians have been killed since 2009.
Humanitarian groups like Open Doors stress that more Christians are killed every year in Nigeria than the rest of the world combined, making it the most dangerous nation on earth for Christ followers. Yet under the Obama and Biden administrations, the federal government refused to classify the violence as persecution, with Biden reversing the first Trump administration’s designation of Nigeria as a “country of particular concern.”
Texas Senator Ted Cruz has spent years trying to convince his fellow lawmakers to adopt a clearer, more confrontational response to the Nigerian government’s ongoing refusal to address the violence. He told The Daily Wire the Nigerian government has not simply turned a blind eye to the situation but in some cases are complicit in the persecution and murder of Christians.
Cruz’s advocacy has helped initiate a wave of renewed interest in the crisis that was further amplified once Minaj and Ambassador Waltz moved the conversation to the global stage.
Cruz recounted that when Senate Republicans were invited to breakfast at the White House shortly before the Country of Particular Concern designation was reinstated, he pulled the president aside and personally thanked him.
“This unlocks targeted sanctions,” he explained. “It unlocks the ability to use deep economic leverage. It allows the administration to say enough is enough.” He added that Nigeria has 12 states enforcing Sharia-based laws and maintains a federal blasphemy statute. According to Cruz, these legal structures “are used to persecute Christians” and create an environment where extremist groups can operate with impunity.
The senator takes particular issue with outlets like the Associated Press reporting that the data does not support a Christian genocide.
“I think you could actually teach [the AP report] in a journalism class as an example of pure political hackery and dishonest reporting,” he said. Cruz believes the media reluctance stems from a worldview that downplays religious persecution when the victims are Christian. He compared it to coverage of the war in Gaza, alleging that some outlets report atrocities selectively depending on who commits them.
To bolster the strength of the Country of Particular Concern designation, Cruz has introduced the <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/2747" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act of 2025</a>, which will place targeted sanctions on Nigerian officials who enforce Sharia law and facilitate violence against Christians and other minority groups.
The View from the Ground
In Abuja, officials maintain that the crisis cannot be reduced to persecution and accuse some in Washington of using Nigeria as a “political football.” Government spokesmen insist the country’s constitution forbids religious discrimination and that Muslim communities also sometimes suffer violence at the hands of more extreme Muslims. These are the claims regularly echoed by major American media.
But those on the ground in Nigeria say that while it’s true other Muslims are sometimes targeted for not being “Muslim enough,” there’s no question that Christians are disproportionately targeted.
Judd Saul, founder of Equipping the Persecuted, ministers on the ground in Nigeria, and he told The Daily Wire that the Nigerian government regularly fails to act to protect Christians, even with ample forewarning. Yet outlets like the AP and Reuters are content to echo their talking points.
“The mainstream media never shows up. They just take the government’s word for it, and every time Christians are killed, it’s always ‘unknown gunmen.’ But we know who’s doing it,” Saul said. He added that legacy reporters need to visit Nigeria to see the situation on the ground for themselves. “They need to see the dead bodies, hug the wounded, hug the survivors, be there feeding them when they&#8217;re starving, like I have,” he added.
Other Americans ministering in Nigeria echo Saul&#8217;s sentiment.
“Let&#8217;s not forget, [Nigerian] Christians are second class citizens,” Pastor Brad Brandon, who leads a Christian relief organization Across Nigeria, told The Daily Wire. “Oftentimes, they have trouble even buying food at the market or getting medical care or education for their children simply because they&#8217;re Christians.” He further pointed out that of the 3.5 million people in Nigeria’s displaced persons camps, eighty percent are Christians who are there because their homes and their villages have been destroyed by Muslim attackers.
“When somebody denies that this is a genocide or Christians are being targeted, like the AP has done, if it wasn&#8217;t so serious and horrific, it would be laughable,” Brandon said, citing the Yelwata massacre where 250 Christians were slaughtered in a single night. &#8220;Entire villages were razed, houses burned, women and children shot as they fled the flames,&#8221; he said. Brandon himself witnessed the violence close up in 2021 when a Nigerian colleague was hacked to death in his bed by extremists after they torched his church and home during a ministry tour. &#8220;We&#8217;ve lost friends, scouts, partners. We’re constantly in and out of massacre sites,&#8221; Brandon added.
It’s a reality that has led some Nigerian pastors to carry weapons during worship services, prepared to protect their flocks physically if need be.
A Growing Movement
As recognition of the crisis in Nigeria has grown, American churches have begun organizing prayer vigils, fundraising campaigns, and policy petitions. Ambassador Waltz is preparing for closed-door consultations with his UN counterparts in hopes of securing a multilateral fact-finding mission. Lawmakers in the United Kingdom have called for a parliamentary inquiry into Nigeria’s security situation, while several members of the European Parliament have urged the European Union to reassess its aid strategy.
Yet for survivors and displaced families in Nigeria, the long-awaited international response can feel distant and lack urgency. Viral videos circulating online show Nigerian pastors standing in mass graves pleading for help, describing ruined congregations and inaccessible hospitals. One recent clip showed a rural priest surrounded by makeshift wooden crosses, mourning dozens of victims buried less than a day earlier.
Whether Minaj’s intervention will translate into sustainable policy outcomes remains unclear. Celebrity involvement has, historically, produced mixed results for international crises. But for now, what she has undeniably done is thrust Nigeria’s crisis into headlines it had rarely reached. Her UN appearance led to days of debate across cable news and radio programs. Editorial boards that had not covered Nigeria’s rural violence in months published opinion pieces after her social media posts praising President Trump for his action. Lawmakers previously unfamiliar with the issue requested briefings.
As Waltz put it afterward, “Sometimes the world pays attention only when someone unexpected steps forward.”
In the wake of the UN event, the Trump administration is reportedly considering targeted sanctions on specific Nigerian officials accused of failing to prevent extremist violence. The State Department is preparing a report on blasphemy laws and religious-freedom restrictions in Nigeria’s northern states. Ambassador Waltz has indicated that he hopes to formalize new security conditions for future arms sales.
Nigeria, facing diplomatic and economic pressure, is weighing how to respond. Officials have hinted that they will accept additional counterterrorism support but will resist any effort to frame the conflict primarily as religious.
Meanwhile, advocates like Saul say the crisis cannot wait for geopolitical negotiations. He argues that international pressure must intensify immediately, before more villages are burned and more families displaced.
International Stakes and China’s Influence
One complicating factor, though, is China’s expanding presence on the African continent. China is Nigeria’s largest bilateral lender and a key investor in infrastructure, energy, and mining, and it benefits from the status quo. Cruz believes that economic relationship gives the United States further geopolitical incentive to put pressure on Nigerian officials to stop the violence.
“Communist China is the single largest geopolitical threat facing the United States for the next hundred years,” Cruz said. “Their objective is unequivocal. They&#8217;re not shy about it. It is global domination. It is economic domination. It is military domination. And Africa is one of the major battlegrounds where China is trying to exert its influence.”
According to Cruz, China benefits from a weakened or destabilized Nigeria because radical Islamist factions tend to resent Western influence more than Chinese investment.
“Chinese communists are perfectly fine with persecuting Christians,” he said. “The Chinese communist government persecutes Christians in China. They also recognize that the more influence radical Islamists have in Nigeria, the less likely Nigeria is to align with America because radical Islam hates America. And so, from China&#8217;s perspective, if they want Nigeria to side with the communists, one of the ways of doing so is trying to strengthen the forces that hate Americans, that hate Christians, that hate the West. And sadly, that&#8217;s exactly what China is doing.”
For Cruz, Waltz, and scores of humanitarian workers, the moment to stake a clear position on Nigerian persecution feels long overdue. And for the families living through nightly attacks, fleeing burned homes, or burying loved ones in village clearings, it is simply another chapter in a long struggle for survival — one they hope the world, finally, has begun to see.

Nicki Minaj

Nicki Minaj Puts Nigeria’s Christian Persecution In The Spotlight

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For decades, Christians in Africa have faced intense persecution at the hands of Islamic extremists. That persecution has especially focused on Christians in Nigeria and Sudan, two war-torn nations that President Donald Trump now wants to address.
Last month, Trump designated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern, saying that &#8220;Christianity is facing an existential threat.&#8221; Then, last week, the president vowed to take more action to end the civil war in Sudan. Both countries are in the midst of upheaval and have large Christian populations, whose faith puts a target on their backs.
Trump&#8217;s <a href="https://www.state.gov/frequently-asked-questions-irf-report-and-countries-of-particular-concern">designation</a> of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern means that the United States will seek to actively address Nigeria&#8217;s violations of religious freedom and opens the door to potential economic penalties.
“When Christians, or any such group, is slaughtered like is happening in Nigeria (3,100 versus 4,476 Worldwide), something must be done!&#8221; Trump said.
For Nigerian Christians, the Country of Particular Concern designation could be a useful tool to push the Nigerian government to take more action to protect Christians from Islamic extremists, according to Ryan Brown, CEO of Open Doors U.S., an organization that helps raise awareness and get aid to persecuted Christians.
The situation in Nigeria has gained attention thanks to the Trump administration, along with some unlikely cultural figures who have called out the persecution against Christians in the country, including left-wing political commentator <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/bill-maher-exposes-nigerias-christian-genocide-in-47-seconds">Bill Maher</a> and pop star <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/nicki-minaj-teams-up-with-trump-will-highlight-christian-persecution-in-address-to-united-nations">Nicki Minaj</a>. Minaj even met with Trump administration officials about the issue earlier this month and raised awareness about Christian persecution in Nigeria in front of the United Nations.
The slaughter of Christians in Nigeria has become a full-blown genocide, according to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/how-can-the-world-still-deny-nigerias-christian-genocide">on-the-ground accounts and data from recent years</a>. Just this year, more than 7,000 Christians have reportedly been killed for their faith in Nigeria, including 250 Christians who were <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/morning-brief-nigerian-christians-slaughtered-russia-standoff-illegal-alien-tiktoker-nabbed">killed</a> by Islamic extremists in the Yelwata village massacre in June. Research on worldwide Christian persecution suggests that Nigeria accounts for around 80% of the Christian deaths worldwide that come from persecution, according to Open Doors.
Nigeria&#8217;s government has denied that Christians in the country are being systematically targeted, saying, &#8220;There is no Christian genocide in Nigeria,&#8221; but it has agreed to discuss the issue with the United States. Last week, the Trump administration took more steps to address persecution in Nigeria, with War Secretary Pete Hegseth meeting with the country&#8217;s national security adviser.
&#8220;Under [President Trump&#8217;s] leadership, [the Department of War] is working aggressively with Nigeria to end the persecution of Christians by jihadist terrorists,&#8221; Hegseth <a href="https://x.com/SecWar/status/1991908064912617733">said</a>.
Brown told The Daily Wire that Nigerian Christians &#8220;would certainly say that the Nigerian government has not done enough to protect the freedoms and provide safety for the men and women on the ground there.&#8221;
<div id="attachment_1006245" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1006245" class="wp-image-1006245 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-2244444115-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-2244444115-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-2244444115-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-2244444115-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-2244444115.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />A general view of a catholic Church in Maiduguri on November 3, 2025. (Photo by Audu MARTE / AFP) (Photo by AUDU MARTE/AFP via Getty Images)</div>
Some media <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2025/10/2/no-bill-maher-there-is-no-christian-genocide-in-nigeria">outlets</a> have also <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgqlzkdeeqjo">scrutinized</a> claims of targeted violence toward Christians in Nigeria, writing that the violence in the African nation is too complicated to say that Christians are being systemically wiped out. But Brown told The Daily Wire that the reports of violence against Christians in Nigeria are not exaggerating the extent of the situation.
&#8220;These are realities on the ground that Christians are facing. In Nigeria, this has really been a multiple-year trend,&#8221; Brown said. &#8220;I was with a pastor from Nigeria a couple weeks ago, and he said for the better part of 15 years, he&#8217;s been trying to tell this story to the world, and he&#8217;s been just so thankful that the collective attention finally is seeming to be raised.&#8221;
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Nigeria received more attention earlier this month when more than 300 students and 12 staff members were <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/21/africa/students-kidnapped-nigerian-catholic-school-intl">kidnapped</a> from a Catholic boarding school by armed men. That mass kidnapping came shortly after 25 girls were abducted from a government boarding school in Nigeria and after an <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/gunmen-attack-church-nigeria-killing-two-kidnapping-others-2025-11-19/">attack</a> on a church, where at least two people were killed, and the pastor was abducted.
<div id="attachment_1006343" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1006343" class="wp-image-1006343 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-2247525679-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-2247525679-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-2247525679-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-2247525679-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-2247525679.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />A pair of shoes is seen inside a student dormitory at St. Mary&#8217;s Catholic School in Papiri, Agwarra local government, Niger state, on November 23, 2025. Gunmen raided the school early on November 21, taking 303 children and 12 teachers in one of the largest mass kidnappings in Nigeria. (Photo by Ifeanyi Immanuel Bakwenye / AFP via Getty Images)</div>
Each year, Open Doors releases a &#8220;World Watch List&#8221; which shows where Christians face the most persecution. In its 2025 list, released in January, Nigeria was near the top at 7th. Open Doors uses research teams to follow news updates in countries around the world and on-the-ground relationships with Christians in numerous countries, according to Brown.
Islamic extremists with terror groups, such as Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province, are targeting Christians mainly in the country&#8217;s northern regions, but the violence isn&#8217;t completely centered on Christians. Muslims with different ethnicities from the terrorists are also killed for political and religious reasons.
&#8220;There are so many different contributing factors that are at play here. It&#8217;s a complicated situation,&#8221; said Brown. But he added that the nuance doesn&#8217;t mean the world should look past the violence targeting Christians.
&#8220;Some have said because it&#8217;s nuanced and complicated, the conclusion we should draw is Christian persecution is not happening. We would look at those same nuances and complexities and say no, it&#8217;s an oversimplification to say that Christian persecution is not part of the fabric of what&#8217;s being woven here,&#8221; Brown said.
Nigerian Christians continue to hold their faith as they face threats and violence from radical Islamic terrorists, and they are hopeful that President Trump&#8217;s focus on their plight will result in positive steps being taken toward religious freedom. When Trump designated Nigeria a Country of Particular Concern, Brown said that Nigerian Christian leaders had &#8220;an incredible sense of gratitude and thankfulness,&#8221; but added that they also recognized there was a lot of work to be done to address Christian persecution in the African nation.
The Trump administration is not just seeking to end the persecution of Christians in Nigeria — it also has its sights set on ending the war in Sudan, a conflict that has resulted in the deaths of numerous Christians and Muslims. Like in Nigeria, the violence against Christians in Sudan spans decades and is perpetrated by radical Islamic extremists.
Gasim Domkog, a pastor who grew up in Sudan before coming to America, told The Daily Wire that the violence against Christians has been nonstop as the country has gone through regime changes and civil war.
&#8220;We went through a lot. I personally went through a lot,&#8221; Domkog said, adding that many members of his own family have been killed by the Islamic extremist violence.
&#8220;It&#8217;s very rare to find anybody from Sudan that has not had people from their family that has been killed,&#8221; added Domkog, who now leads an Arabic-speaking church in Nashville and ministers to Christians who came out of Islam.
Along with facing intense persecution for their faith, Sudanese Christians are also affected by the civil war that has torn the country apart. Sudan&#8217;s current civil war, which started in 2023, is fought between the government and the Rapid Support Forces, a powerful Islamic militant group seeking to gain control of the country. More than 150,000 people have been killed in the war, and over 12 million have been forced to flee their homes.
<div id="attachment_1006235" style="width: 850px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1006235" class="wp-image-1006235 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-2245123877-840x576.jpg" alt="" width="840" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-2245123877-840x576.jpg 840w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-2245123877-300x206.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-2245123877-768x527.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-2245123877.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 840px) 100vw, 840px" />AL DABBAH, SUDAN &#8211; NOVEMBER 8: Sudan&#8217;s Sovereignty Council Chairman and Army Commander Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan visits the newly established Al-Afadh camp in Al Dabbah, Northern State, where tens of thousands of Sudanese have taken refuge after being displaced by clashes following the Rapid Support Forces&#8217; takeover of El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur. (Photo by Stringer/Anadolu via Getty Images)</div>
Sudan ranks 5th on the Open Doors &#8220;World Watch&#8221; list of countries where Christians face the most persecution. Violence against Christians in Sudan is perpetrated by the radical Islamic extremist groups that vie for control of the country. Often, these groups are controlled by the Muslim Brotherhood.
The country has been unstable since the early 1980s, when civil war broke out and continued until 2005. Following more than 20 years of conflict, South Sudan, which is made up mostly of Christians, broke away from Sudan and formed its own country in 2011.
Similar to the Muslim extremists in Nigeria, terrorists in Sudan also target Muslims who have ethnic differences. In the war-torn region of Darfur, militants have gone door-to-door killing thousands of people. Evidence of the mass killings could be seen from <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/International/blood-visible-space-sudan-shows-evidence-darfur-genocide/story?id=126985544">satellite images</a>, which showed blood-soaked neighborhoods in Darfur. The killings took place immediately after the Rapid Response Forces took control of the city. Most of the people killed in Darfur are Muslims and are targeted because they have darker skin, Domkog told The Daily Wire.
&#8220;At first, the jihadists were using religious war as holy war, but now they&#8217;re focusing on ethnicity,&#8221; Domkog said. &#8220;They say that if you&#8217;re not of Arab descent, you need to be killed. Now, they&#8217;re killing their own people.&#8221;
&#8220;The agenda was either to become Muslim and obey their rules and to be under Sharia Law or they will get rid of you, and that&#8217;s what they&#8217;re doing,&#8221; he added.
<div id="attachment_1006239" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1006239" class="wp-image-1006239 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-2247191335-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-2247191335-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-2247191335-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-2247191335-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-2247191335.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />A Sudanese woman who fled El-Fasher in Darfur carries jerrycans of water at the Al-Afad camp for displaced people in the town of Al-Dabba, northern Sudan, on November 21, 2025. (Photo by Ebrahim Hamid / AFP) (Photo by EBRAHIM HAMID/AFP via Getty Images)</div>
President Trump <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-announces-us-making-new-effort-end-war/story?id=127683382">said</a> last week that after meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, he has agreed that the United States will &#8220;do something very powerful having to do with Sudan.&#8221;
The war will be a complicated web for the Trump administration to address. Evidence presented by human rights groups <a href="https://www.americanprogress.org/article/how-congress-can-help-curb-the-uaes-role-in-sudans-crisis/#:~:text=The%20UAE%27s%20role%20in%20perpetuating,and%20supplies%20as%20humanitarian%20aid." target="_blank" rel="noopener">shows</a> that the United Arab Emirates is the main backer of the Rapid Response Forces, while other nations, including China, Iran, Egypt, Turkey, and Russia, send weapons and ammunition to both sides of the war. Trump acknowledged that the war in Sudan will not be an easy fix, but added that he believes it&#8217;s important to seek peace in the country.
&#8220;I thought it was just something that was crazy and out of control,&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;But I just see how important that is &#8230; and we&#8217;re going to start working in Sudan.&#8221;

NigeriaTrump

Trump’s Next Peace Push Focuses On Nigeria And Sudan, Where Christians Are Killed By The Thousands

Donald Trump

Trump Administration

World

President Donald Trump is stretching the “politics make strange bedfellows” saw to the breaking point.
Celebrity Nation leans aggressively to the Left, and anyone defying that groupthink puts their career at risk. Actor Zachary Levi said it out loud after he praised President Trump last year, calling the move <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/zachary-levi-endorsing-trump-lifeline-career-1236026923/">“career suicide.”</a>
That wasn’t the case in 2009, however, when celebrities flocked to President Barack Obama following his historic 2008 election. They pledged <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/celebrities-pledge-oath-obama/">to do whatever he told them to do</a>.
Different party, of course.
This past week, President Trump had recording artist Nicki Minaj indirectly singing his praises for drawing attention to a humanitarian crisis. The rapper took Trump’s side after the president called out the shocking slaughter of Christians in Nigeria.
Minaj, in connection with the administration, spoke before a UN event about the shocking headlines coming from the African nation.
<div id="attachment_1002653" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1002653" class="size-large wp-image-1002653" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Nicki-Minaj-864x576.jpg" alt="Nicki Minaj" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Nicki-Minaj-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Nicki-Minaj-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Nicki-Minaj-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Nicki-Minaj.jpg 1200w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />ANGELA WEISS / AFP via Getty Images</div>
&#8220;In Nigeria, Christians are being targeted … Churches have been burned, families have been torn apart &#8230; simply because of how they pray.&#8221;
She also <a href="https://apnews.com/article/nicki-minaj-nigeria-christians-trump-be7b03a3f1d4e43747fa26e600be5d3f">thanked the president</a> for leading the way on the matter to “combat extremism and to bring a stop to violence against those who simply want to exercise their natural right to freedom of religion or belief.”
Trump critics contend that multiple religions have been targeted during the violence spree, and that the nation has sadly been the source of extreme violence for some time.
Minaj’s appearance understandably rocked pop culture, but it wasn’t the first time.
For starters, Trump’s second term features former Democrats like Tulsi Gabbard and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., his Director of National Intelligence and Secretary of Health and Human Services, respectively.
Journalist Megyn Kelly, who Trump once blistered during an early Q&amp;A, stumped for his presidency in the waning days of the 2024 campaign.
It’s Trump’s pop culture connections, though, that raise eyebrows the highest. Think Snoop Dogg, Kim Kardashian, Kanye West, Bill Maher, and others who famously linked arms with the president in the past.
It started during the President’s first White House foray. Rapper Kanye West hopped aboard the Trump Train, meeting with the world leader at Trump Tower in 2016 following an extended concert speech praising the real estate mogul.
Two years later, West wore a <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/snl-kanye-west-gave-pro-trump-speech-maga-hat-1148092/">red MAGA</a> hat on “Saturday Night Live” and praised Trump, but the artist’s string of antisemitic rants and emotional meltdowns caused his fame to curdle into its current, sorry state.
West’s former wife, Kim Kardashian, has arguably had a more productive relationship with Trump. The reality show starlet teamed with Trump on prison reform measures. Kardashian, ignoring a celebrity culture that raged against all things Trump, made the trek to the White House to personally push for her pet cause.
The wannabe lawyer and Trump <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-51744918">discussed reform measures</a> aimed at first-time offenders and those she felt were treated unfairly. That public relations coup led to the 2018 release of three young mothers — Crystal Munoz, Judith Negron, and Tynice Hall, all tied to drug-related charges.
<div id="attachment_1004231" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1004231" class="size-large wp-image-1004231" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-1149706439-864x576.jpg" alt="U.S. President Donald Trump, right, listens as reality star and activist Kim Kardashian West speaks about a second chance hiring and re-entry initiative at an event in the East Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Thursday June 13, 2019. Kardashian West took a star turn at the White House on Thursday to promote efforts to help those leaving prison get jobs and stay on track. Photographer: Sarah Silbiger/Bloomberg via Getty Images" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-1149706439-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-1149706439-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-1149706439-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-1149706439.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Sarah Silbiger/Bloomberg via Getty Images</div>
She also played a role in the <a href="https://time.com/5486560/prison-reform-jared-kushner-kim-kardashian-west/">2018 bill</a> that expanded the criminal reform initiative, allowing prisoners to earn credits for early release among its measures. Kardashian wasn’t the only player who made that happen, but she became its public face via her social media empire.
Trump’s second term has seen more of the same, right from the jump.
Rapper Snoop Dogg infamously starred in a 2017 music video in which he <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/lifestyle/trump-hits-back-at-snoop-dogg-assassination-video-idUSKBN16O04V/">“shot” a clownish Trump stand-in</a>.
Future Secretary of State Marco Rubio <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-39268735">blasted the clip</a>, telling TMZ at the time that, &#8220;If the wrong person sees that and gets the wrong idea, you could have a real problem.&#8221;
It was part of Hollywood’s collective wish for the real estate mogul to <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/celebrities-wished-trump-dead/">leave this mortal coil</a> during his first term.
The rapper/actor/pitchman apparently had a change of heart over time. By 2025, <a href="https://www.npr.org/2025/01/20/g-s1-43733/snoop-dogg-trump-perform-inauguration">Snoop Dogg performed</a> at a pre-inauguration gala dubbed the Crypto Ball alongside Rick Ross and Soulja Boy. That’s despite previously calling anyone who performed for Trump during his first term “<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BPGvbw4jnvn/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again">Uncle Toms,” in a stereotypical, Stepin Fetchit-style voice</a>.
<div id="attachment_1004233" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1004233" class="size-large wp-image-1004233" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-2199697788-864x576.jpg" alt="SNL50: THE HOMECOMING CONCERT -- Pictured: (l-r) Snoop Dogg at Radio City Music Hall on Friday, February 14, 2025 -- (Photo by: Arturo Holmes/Peacock via Getty Images)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-2199697788-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-2199697788-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-2199697788-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-2199697788.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Arturo Holmes/Peacock via Getty Images</div>
The rapper even stood up to social media critics who trashed him for his about-face.
“Y’all can’t hate enough for me, I love too much,” <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BdjP-n8rIs">he told his critics</a>, via Entertainment Tonight. “We gotta pick each other up instead of putting each other down.”
Earlier this year, longtime Trump critic Bill Maher made the trek to the White House to break bread with his ideological foe. Maher got roasted for his trouble, including a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/21/opinion/larry-david-hitler-dinner.html">seething New York Times op-ed</a> from Larry David of “Curb Your Enthusiasm” fame.
Maher even suggested recently he’d like a second dinner with Trump while continuing to roast his leadership.
<div id="attachment_1004247" style="width: 1028px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1004247" class="size-large wp-image-1004247" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Club-Random-maher-kid-rock-1018x576.jpg" alt="Screenshot: ClubRandom/YouTube.com" width="1018" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Club-Random-maher-kid-rock-1018x576.jpg 1018w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Club-Random-maher-kid-rock-300x170.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Club-Random-maher-kid-rock-768x435.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Club-Random-maher-kid-rock-1536x870.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Club-Random-maher-kid-rock.jpg 1793w" sizes=" (max-width: 1018px) 100vw, 1018px" />Screenshot: ClubRandom/YouTube.com</div>
How did the initial Maher-Trump dinner happen in the first place? Singer Kid Rock, a repeat guest on Maher’s “Club Random” podcast, arranged for the unlikely meetup.
The wildest part of the dinner? Maher had <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2EwqzHsSEZY">Trump sign a list</a> of all the insults the president had thrown the comedian’s way over the years. Maher considers it a prized possession, one he has shown to his “Club Random” guests.
It took courage for stars to align with Trump during his first term.
Now, with a few more celebrities bucking conventional wisdom, the president’s “bedfellows” are looking a little less strange.
* * *
Christian Toto is an award-winning journalist, movie critic, and editor of <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HollywoodInToto.com</a>. He previously served as associate editor with Breitbart News’ Big Hollywood. Follow him at <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HollywoodInToto.com</a>.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
* * *
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Snoop Dogg

Rapper Nicki Minaj spoke at a United Nations event on Tuesday to bring attention to the persecution of Christians in Nigeria.
The Trinidadian pop star thanked President Donald Trump for prioritizing the issue and urged people “to defend Christians in Nigeria, to combat extremism and to bring a stop to violence against those who simply want to exercise their natural right to freedom of religion or belief.” Minaj was part of a panel that included U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz and faith leaders. 
“Today, faith is under attack in way too many places. In Nigeria, Christians are being targeted, driven from their homes and killed. Churches have been burned. Families have been torn apart and entire communities live in fear constantly, simply because of how they pray,” the 42-year-old celeb <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jcssdZvTK8">said</a> during her speech.
“Sadly, this problem is not only a growing problem in Nigeria, but also in so many other countries across the world, and it demands urgent action,” Minaj said. “And I want to be clear, protecting Christians in Nigeria is not about taking sides or dividing people. It is about uniting humanity.”
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The “Super Bass” singer isn’t politically active, but many of her fans have been melting down, accusing her of “going MAGA.” Minaj, who calls her fans “Barbz,” attempted to soothe their ruffled feathers by explaining that this issue transcended politics.
“Barbz, I know you&#8217;re somewhere listening. I love you so very much. You have been the ultimate light in my life and career for so long. I appreciate you, and I want to make it very clear, once again, that this isn&#8217;t about taking sides. This is about standing up in the face of injustice. It&#8217;s about what I&#8217;ve always stood for my entire career. And I will continue to stand for that for the rest of my life. I will care if anyone, anywhere, is being persecuted for their beliefs,” Minaj said.
In late October, Trump said the State Department would add Nigeria to its list of “Countries of Particular Concern.”
“Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria. Thousands of Christians are being killed,” Trump said. “Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter. I am hereby making Nigeria a ‘COUNTRY OF PARTICULAR CONCERN’ — But that is the least of it. When Christians, or any such group, is slaughtered like is happening in Nigeria (3,100 versus 4,476 Worldwide), something must be done!”
Trump said he would send troops into Nigeria “guns a-blazing” if its government “continues to allow the killing of Christians.”
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu disputed Trump’s assertions, saying they did not reflect the facts.
“The characterisation of Nigeria as religiously intolerant does not reflect our national reality, nor does it take into consideration the consistent and sincere efforts of the government to safeguard freedom of religion and beliefs for all Nigerians,” he <a href="https://x.com/officialABAT/status/1984640117361840491">said</a>.
“Religious freedom and tolerance have been a core tenet of our collective identity and shall always remain so. Nigeria opposes religious persecution and does not encourage it.”

Nicki Minaj Drops Mic On Nigeria’s Anti-Christian Violence At UN

'Faith Is Under Attack': Nicki Minaj Addresses UN About Christians Persecution In Nigeria

Nicki Minaj’s music introduced a new generation of female rappers. But now she’s lending her voice to a more important cause — stopping the killing of Christians in Nigeria.
Minaj is set to speak at the United Nations this week alongside United States Ambassador to the United Nations, Mike Waltz. They will discuss what President Donald Trump and his administration are doing to stop the persecution of Christians in Nigeria. According to the International Society of Civil Liberties and Rule of Law, 7,000 Christians have been killed in 2025 alone.
“[Minaj] is not only arguably the greatest female recording artist, but also a principled individual who refuses to remain silent in the face of injustice,” Waltz wrote on X on Sunday. “I’m grateful she’s leveraging her massive platform to spotlight the atrocities against Christians in Nigeria, and I look forward to standing with her as we discuss the steps the President and his administration are taking to end the persecution of our Christian brothers and sisters.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/NICKIMINAJ?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NICKIMINAJ</a> is not only arguably the greatest female recording artist, but also a principled individual who refuses to remain silent in the face of injustice.
I&#8217;m grateful she&#8217;s leveraging her massive platform to spotlight the atrocities against Christians in Nigeria, and I… <a href="https://t.co/LOLrU1PZye">https://t.co/LOLrU1PZye</a>
— Ambassador Mike Waltz (@michaelgwaltz) <a href="https://twitter.com/michaelgwaltz/status/1990189618172432615?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 16, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Minaj was flattered. She responded to the ambassador’s remarks, writing, “Ambassador, I am so grateful to be entrusted with an opportunity of this magnitude. I do not take it for granted… I will never stand down in the face of injustice. We’ve been given our influence by God. There must be a bigger purpose.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Ambassador, I am so grateful to be entrusted with an opportunity of this magnitude. I do not take it for granted. It means more than you know.
The Barbz &amp; I will never stand down in the face of injustice. We’ve been given our influence by God. There must be a bigger purpose. 🎀 <a href="https://t.co/Mdh0nBWwm1">https://t.co/Mdh0nBWwm1</a>
— Nicki Minaj (@NICKIMINAJ) <a href="https://twitter.com/NICKIMINAJ/status/1990212305783836689?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 17, 2025</a></blockquote>
The collaboration came together over social media earlier this month when Waltz invited Minaj to talk with him at the U.S. Embassy to the United Nations after the Grammy-nominated rapper publicly thanked Trump for bringing attention to the slaughtering of Christians. Trump advisor Alex Bruesewitz coordinated the Waltz-Minaj meeting, <a href="https://x.com/EricCortellessa/status/1990097775858417714?s=20">set</a> to take place Tuesday, according to TIME Senior Political Correspondent Eric Cortellessa, who first broke the news of the meetup.
On Halloween, Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/users/realDonaldTrump/statuses/115470116607441456">said</a> the State Department would add Nigeria to its list of “Countries of Particular Concern.”
“Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria. Thousands of Christians are being killed,” Trump said. “Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter. I am hereby making Nigeria a ‘COUNTRY OF PARTICULAR CONCERN’ — But that is the least of it. When Christians, or any such group, is slaughtered like is happening in Nigeria (3,100 versus 4,476 Worldwide), something must be done!”
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-threatens-to-completely-wipe-out-the-islamic-terrorists-killing-nigerian-christians">RELATED: Trump Threatens To ‘Completely Wipe Out The Islamic Terrorists’ Killing Nigerian Christians 
</a>
Minaj <a href="https://x.com/NICKIMINAJ/status/1984566555460485280?s=20">thanked</a> the Trump administration “for taking this seriously,” adding, “God bless every persecuted Christian. Let’s remember to lift them up in prayer.”
Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/nigerias-tuggar-trump-state-backed-religious-persecution-impossible-under-2025-11-04/">argued</a> that the government was not supporting the persecution of Christians “in any way.”
“This is what shows that it’s impossible for there to be a religious persecution that can be supported in any way, shape or form by the government of Nigeria at any level, be it federal, be it regional, be it local, it&#8217;s impossible,” Tuggar said November 4 during a press briefing in Berlin.
The Daily Wire has reached out to Bruesewitz for more details.

Trump, Nicki Minaj

Nicki Minaj Teams Up With Trump, Will Highlight Christian Persecution In Address To United Nations

News

<div>
Gunmen <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/17/africa/gunmen-kidnap-schoolgirls-nigeria-intl">attacked</a> a girls’ boarding school in Kebbi State, northwest Nigeria, early Monday, killing a vice principal and abducting 25 female students in what authorities described as a coordinated assault.
According to police spokesperson Nafiu Abubakar Kotarkoshi, the assailants arrived around 4 a.m. local time at the Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga town, armed with rifles and prepared for confrontation. They exchanged gunfire with police officers before scaling the school’s perimeter fence and carrying out the mass abduction. Vice Principal Hassan Yakubu Makuku was shot dead while attempting to resist the attackers, and another staff member was wounded.
</div>
<div>
In response, police deployed tactical units alongside soldiers and local vigilantes to track the perpetrators through suspected escape corridors and forested areas. The incident adds to a long pattern of mass kidnappings in Nigeria’s northwest, where armed criminal gangs — often referred to locally as “bandits” — have repeatedly targeted schools for ransom. These attacks continue despite government efforts to reinforce security following high-profile kidnappings such as Boko Haram’s 2014 abduction of over 270 schoolgirls in Chibok, many of whom remain missing.
</div>
<div>
The Kebbi assault comes against the backdrop of another major kidnapping crisis. In March 2024, at least 287 schoolchildren were <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/13/africa/gunmen-demand-ransom-287-children-nigeria-intl">abducted</a> in Kuriga village in neighboring Kaduna State. The kidnappers later issued a chilling ransom demand of 1 billion naira (about $621,800), threatening to kill all the students if the government failed to comply within 20 days. A local resident, Aminu Jibril, told CNN that the abductors contacted him directly, claiming the kidnapping was retaliation for the killing of their gang members by security forces. Jibril believes his phone number was obtained from a school official kidnapped alongside the children.
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<div>
The Kuriga attack occurred when armed bandits on motorcycles stormed the LEA Primary and Secondary School in Chikun district, seizing nearly 300 students. While some escaped or were rescued, hundreds remained in captivity. Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani stated that his administration was taking all possible steps to secure the release of the students. A community member who attempted to confront the attackers during the raid was killed.
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<div>
Kaduna, which borders Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, has endured a series of mass abductions in recent years. In 2021, at least 140 secondary school students were kidnapped in the state, and months earlier, gunmen abducted around 20 university students in the same district. Five of those students were later killed when ransom demands went unmet.
</div>

NIGERIA-UNREST-KIDNAPPING-CHIBOK

25 Schoolgirls Abducted In Latest Mass Kidnapping In Nigeria

Crime

kidnapping

Schoolgirls

California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom on Tuesday used the global platform of COP30 to announce a new partnership between the so-called Golden State and Nigeria for advancing clean transportation, climate adaptation, and pollution reduction.
On X, Newsom celebrated, “California just teamed up with Nigeria on a new climate partnership at #COP30 — focused on cleaner transportation, climate adaptation, and cutting pollution. Real action, global collaboration!”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
California just teamed up with Nigeria on a new climate partnership at <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/COP30?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#COP30</a> — focused on cleaner transportation, climate adaptation, and cutting pollution.
Real action, global collaboration! <a href="https://t.co/2YiJYQwuPd">pic.twitter.com/2YiJYQwuPd</a>
&mdash; Governor Gavin Newsom (@CAgovernor) <a href="https://twitter.com/CAgovernor/status/1988419405248950568?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 12, 2025</a></blockquote>
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This public announcement served not only as a boast of California’s global reach on sustainability but also as a direct contrast to the posture of the federal government under Donald Trump, who had recently re-designated Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC) due to severe, systematic violence against Christians.​
While Newsom projected optimism about climate diplomacy and international cooperation with Nigeria, the humanitarian and religious crises inside the African nation were reaching a historic level of alarm. In October 2025, Catholic World Report <a href="https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2025/10/22/nigerian-church-leaders-welcome-conclusions-confirming-christian-genocide/">covered</a> the release of a major U.S. fact-finding mission led by Mike Arnold, the former mayor of Blanco City, Texas. The findings declared unequivocally that the violence and displacement suffered by Christians amounted to genocide, not merely resource-based clashes between herders and farmers—the explanation often given by Nigerian authorities.
Arnold outlined the destruction of Christian villages, the razing of churches, and tens of thousands dead or forced from their homes. He warned that dismissing or minimizing the religious dimensions of the violence was both inaccurate and dangerous, reinforcing the impunity of perpetrators and abetting further atrocities.
Despite international alarm, the Nigerian government continued to reject the genocide designation, with prominent spokespersons insisting that the violence stemmed from local resource disputes instead of a calculated campaign of religious extermination.
Nonetheless, watchdogs reported that, in the first seven months of 2025 alone, more than 7,000 Christians were killed and nearly 8,000 abducted, with daily averages of Christian deaths and abductions starkly highlighting the crisis. Further estimates <a href="reported:">indicated</a> at least 125,000 Christians killed and more than 19,000 churches destroyed since 2009, while radical Islamic groups like Boko Haram and Fulani militias targeted Christian communities with apparent impunity.
Civil rights organizations and international Christian advocacy groups have repeatedly accused the Nigerian government of failing to protect Christians and even providing a safe haven for as many as 22 Islamic terror organizations. Researchers traced a worsening trend of violence, abductions of clergy, and mass displacements, warning that government denial constitutes complicity given the overwhelming evidence that the crisis meets the legal threshold for genocide under Article II of the UN Genocide Convention.
Against this backdrop, advocacy in the West intensified. Under Trump’s leadership in October 2025, the U.S. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-designates-nigeria-a-country-of-particular-concern-after-untold-slaughter-of-christians">officially designated</a> Nigeria as a CPC, renewing the stance his administration had taken during his first term but which had been reversed under the Biden administration. Trump’s announcement starkly contrasted with the state-level approach epitomized by Newsom’s climate pact, centering religious freedom as a critical marker for U.S.–Nigeria relations.
Trump cited atrocious numbers—thousands of Nigerian Christians killed, churches destroyed—and called for urgent congressional attention and possible sanctions, making it clear that the U.S. could not simply stand by as these atrocities unfolded. Trump’s statement and ensuing endorsements from congressional leaders signaled a renewed willingness to apply diplomatic and economic pressure in defense of persecuted Christians.
While Newsom touted California’s model of partnership and global solidarity against climate change, Trump and congressional allies insisted on upholding religious freedom as a central pillar of U.S. foreign policy—putting Nigeria’s abuses at the heart of national and international concern.

MixCollage-11-Nov-2025-09-26-PM-90

Newsom Touts Green Agenda With Nigeria As Trump Slams Country Over Christian Persecution

California

Gavin Newsom

Global Politics

Politics

WASHINGTON—If the Nigerian government does not take action to protect Christians from persecution, President Donald Trump is warning that the United States may go in “guns a-blazing” to “completely wipe out the Islamic terrorists” murdering Christians. 
“I am hereby instructing our Department of War to prepare for possible action,” Trump said on Wednesday evening in a video message posted to social media. “If we attack, it will be fast, vicious, and sweet.” 
The president <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-designates-nigeria-a-country-of-particular-concern-after-untold-slaughter-of-christians">was referring</a> to the violent attacks against religious communities by Boko Haram and other Islamist groups, attacks that have become commonplace throughout the country. The Nigerian government has pushed back against these claims, saying through a spokesman that it is “shocked that President Trump is mulling an invasion of our country.”
But advocates like Congressman Riley Moore, a Catholic from West Virginia, argue that Christians are being disproportionately targeted by militants. The president has <a href="https://rileymoore.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-moore-applauds-president-trumps-decision-designate-nigeria-country">specifically called on Moore</a>, as well as House Committee on Appropriations Chairman Tom Cole, to lead an investigation into the plight of these Christians. 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
&#8220;Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria. The United States cannot stand by while such atrocities are happening there, and in numerous other Countries. We stand ready, willing, and able to save our Great Christian Population around the World!&#8221; &#8211; President Trump <a href="https://t.co/1dSLMr7ApQ">pic.twitter.com/1dSLMr7ApQ</a>
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/1986195249769697516?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 5, 2025</a></blockquote>
“This year alone there have been over 7,000 Christians murdered in Nigeria,” Moore told The Daily Wire in a phone interview this week. “During Palm Sunday, 54 Christians were murdered. A priest on Ash Wednesday was kidnapped and murdered. From the start of this problem, in 2009, there have been in between 50,000 to 100,000 Christians who have been murdered.”  
“Some will say well they’re killing everyone, Muslims and Christians,” he added. “From what I have, from people on the ground, that ratio is five to one, Christians to other faiths. And so it is very clearly targeted against Christians.” 
<div id="attachment_997135" style="width: 875px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-threatens-to-completely-wipe-out-the-islamic-terrorists-killing-nigerian-christians/lawmakers-continue-to-negotiate-funding-government-as-shutdown-stretches-past-a-month" rel="attachment wp-att-997135"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-997135" class="wp-image-997135 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-2244698049-865x576.jpg" alt="" width="865" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-2244698049-865x576.jpg 865w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-2244698049-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-2244698049-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-2244698049.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 865px) 100vw, 865px" /></a>Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (Photo by Tom Brenner/Getty Images)</div>
On Saturday, the president announced that he was declaring Nigeria a “Country of Particular Concern” due to the government’s failure to address the persecution of Christians, meaning that Nigeria has engaged in “severe violations of religious freedom” under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998.
Nigeria had also been declared a Country of Particular Concern under the first Trump administration, but President Joe Biden’s administration removed that designation, a move that Moore calls “ludicrous” and “malpractice in terms of human rights and religious freedom.” 
“Their contention was that the killings that were taking place were motivated actually by land disputes that were driven by, and I’m not joking, climate change,” Moore told The Daily Wire. “Climate change was the culprit here…so they took this designation off.” 
It&#8217;s possible that the president&#8217;s comments alone will have a positive impact on the Nigerian government&#8217;s involvement in stopping the killings of the Christians — and that this was Trump&#8217;s plan all along. But outwardly, Trump has repeatedly expressed willingness to eradicate the Islamic militants, and his Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, has publicly postured his readiness as well.
&#8220;The killing of innocent Christians in Nigeria — and anywhere — must end immediately,&#8221; Hegseth said on Saturday. &#8220;The Department of War is preparing for action. Either the Nigerian Government protects Christians, or we will kill the Islamic Terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities.&#8221;
Moore believes Trump can stop the persecution of Christians without even putting boots on the ground, but he also emphasized that he trusts the president’s judgment “implicitly in these types of matters,” and views Trump as “the singular figure here in the world that can actually get a positive result out of the Nigerian government and save the lives of many of the people being murdered for their faith.” 
<div id="attachment_997115" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-threatens-to-completely-wipe-out-the-islamic-terrorists-killing-nigerian-christians/topshot-nigeria-unrest-boko-haram-kidnapping" rel="attachment wp-att-997115"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-997115" class="wp-image-997115 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-936922172-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-936922172-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-936922172-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-936922172-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-936922172.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" /></a>Nigerian Christian school girls who were kidnapped from their school in Dapchi wait to meet the Nigerian president at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on March 23, 2018. (Photo by PHILIP OJISUA/AFP via Getty Images)</div>
On Wednesday evening, after the president’s video announcement, Moore thanked Trump for his “incredible leadership in defending persecuted Christians.” 
“Your bold and decisive action to protect our brothers and sisters in Christ will save thousands of lives,” Moore said, adding, “I am on it and will have more for you soon.”
Moore has been working to bring attention to the plight of Nigerian Christians since he first took office in January. The first floor speech he gave was specifically about the persecution of Christians in Muslim majority nations. 
“This is something that has bothered me and weighed heavy on my heart for many years, the persecution of our brothers and sisters in Christ around the world for their profession of their faith in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,” he said. 
“I really have been going on this very hard for a number of months, really pleading with anybody who will listen, including the administration and the White House,” the congressman said. Most importantly, he hoped to get the attention of President Donald Trump, who, Moore believes, handles international diplomacy matters with more tact and precision than anyone in the world. 
“We are a Christian nation. I am a Christian, I am a Catholic,” Moore said. “And I am going to stand up for my brothers and sisters in Christ when I see them dying in the name of our faith. It is the right thing to do.”

President Trump Departs Washington For Business Forum In Miami

Trump Threatens To ‘Completely Wipe Out The Islamic Terrorists’ Killing Nigerian Christians

State Department

When the president announced that we might soon be taking &#8220;sweet&#8221; military action inside Nigeria, as he put it — in addition to cutting off all foreign aid to the country — he raised a lot of very urgent questions that need to be answered. The first question, of course, is what exactly this &#8220;sweet&#8221; military action will look like. Nigeria doesn&#8217;t have much in the way of anti-air technology, nor is its military capable of defeating LSU&#8217;s football team, much less the U.S. Army. So the options are pretty much limitless on this front — especially if you&#8217;re not a fan of the mercy rule or playing remotely fair. We could film the next Top Gun movie over West Africa in the next few weeks if we wanted to. And whatever you think of those movies, no serious person contests the fact that they featured some pretty sweet scenes.
The other important question that&#8217;s raised by Trump&#8217;s remarks is: Why are we sending any foreign aid to Nigeria to begin with? Why is there any foreign aid to suspend? When I asked that question yesterday, I genuinely had no idea what the answer was. I was aware of statistics showing that, since 2021, we&#8217;ve been sending roughly a billion dollars — yes, a billion dollars — every single year to Nigeria. And for the decade before that, we were giving them a half-billion dollars every year. Most of that money is supposedly earmarked for &#8220;humanitarian&#8221; and &#8220;economic&#8221; purposes.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-1685-the-matt-walsh-show"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-995295 size-full" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Walsh-Banner.avif" alt="" width="1024" height="171" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Walsh-Banner.avif 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Walsh-Banner-300x50.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Walsh-Banner-768x128.jpg 768w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a>
And yet, if you look at the current state of Nigeria, it&#8217;s not doing so well, despite receiving all of that money from your checking account. It <a href="https://www.nigerianstat.gov.ng/news/78" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nigerianstat.gov.ng/news/78&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1762364623124000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1LjBmIOUR6XmcQuhn_ZinR">turns out</a> that, according to the latest estimates from the United Nations Development Program, &#8220;63% of persons living within Nigeria (133 million people) are multidimensionally poor.&#8221;
Yes, you read that correctly. Sixty-three percent of Nigerians are &#8220;multidimensionally poor.&#8221; This is not, despite what you may think, a situation where Nigerians are so poor that they&#8217;ve entered another dimension. Apparently, according to the United Nations, being &#8220;multidimensionally poor&#8221; means that, in addition to having no money, you also have poor health, poor education, poor living standards, poor sanitation, poor housing, and poor access to electricity. In other words, being &#8220;multidimensionally poor&#8221; means you&#8217;re poor. And apparently, it also means that you&#8217;re entitled to billions of dollars from American taxpayers.
And that&#8217;s not all they&#8217;ve been receiving. Whether they exist in this dimension or not, Nigerians have also been receiving a very different kind of aid from the United States. It&#8217;s not all &#8220;humanitarian aid.&#8221; They&#8217;ve also been receiving very expensive planes.
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-995851 size-full" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/95580375_tucanoa29.webp" alt="" width="976" height="549" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/95580375_tucanoa29.webp 976w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/95580375_tucanoa29-300x169.webp 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/95580375_tucanoa29-768x432.webp 768w" sizes=" (max-width: 976px) 100vw, 976px" /></div>
In 2017, the first Trump administration <a href="https://qz.com/africa/1064752/boko-haram-nigeria-has-purchased-593-million-worth-of-military-gear-from-the-us" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://qz.com/africa/1064752/boko-haram-nigeria-has-purchased-593-million-worth-of-military-gear-from-the-us&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1762364623124000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1RolYFIgQtkWHke0jpQ0RB">sold a dozen</a> A-29 &#8220;Super Tucano&#8221; aircraft to Nigeria for $600 million, on the theory that they&#8217;d be useful in the Nigerian government&#8217;s fight against Boko Haram, the Islamist militant group. These &#8220;Super Tucanos&#8221; are turboprop aircraft that are mainly used for close-air support.
At the time, the Trump administration thought it would be a good idea to equip Nigeria&#8217;s air force with these fighters because Boko Haram (and other militant jihadi groups) had been slaughtering Christians and burning down churches since 2009. And Nigeria&#8217;s government clearly needed more firepower to deal with the insurgency.
To be clear, though, it wasn&#8217;t an idea that originated with the Trump administration. In 2016, a year before the Trump administration completed the sale of the fighters, the Obama administration had indicated that it was going to send these aircraft to Nigeria. But they backed out after Nigeria&#8217;s military bombed a civilian refugee camp by mistake, killing 90 people. Then, a few months later, the Trump administration took over, and they completed the transaction.
In the end, though, Boko Haram wasn&#8217;t defeated. Neither were other major Islamic militant groups in Nigeria. Several years after they obtained the planes from the U.S. military, the mass murder of Christians didn&#8217;t stop in Nigeria. In fact, it intensified. By some estimates — and I stress that these are very rough estimates — well over 24,000 Christians were killed in Nigeria from 2021 to 2025, while around 10,000 Christians were killed from 2017 to 2020. Every year, according to conservative estimates, at least 4,000 Christians are <a href="https://globalchristianrelief.org/resources/countries/nigeria/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://globalchristianrelief.org/resources/countries/nigeria/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1762364623124000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0GghmYY57ndyaI1J_Hcnr5">killed</a> because of their faith in Nigeria — more than in every other country in the world, combined. Many of these Islamist attacks take place in churches, farms, and villages.
<h2>Watch:</h2>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
TERRIFYING: Christians are being hunted like animals in Nigeria.
An Islamist group invaded a Christian village and started shooting everyone in sight.
They are killing Christians on Eid and offering them as human sacrifices.
The media remains silent.
<a href="https://t.co/mBml0cDsU7">pic.twitter.com/mBml0cDsU7</a>
— Dr. Maalouf ‏ (@realMaalouf) <a href="https://twitter.com/realMaalouf/status/1931055519265079382?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 6, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
In response to footage like this, and the massacres of Christians, here&#8217;s the framing you&#8217;ll see in the mainstream press. This is from the AP. See if you can spot the hole in the logic <a href="https://apnews.com/article/nigeria-christian-killings-claims-ted-cruz-insecurity-e9d2fb7ae02bd3169194fb60872bb3d4">here</a>:
<blockquote>While Christians are among those targeted, analysts say the majority of victims of armed groups are Muslims in Nigeria’s Muslim-majority north, where most attacks occur&#8230;. Analysts say Nigeria’s complex security dynamics do not meet the legal definition of a genocide.</blockquote>
Then there&#8217;s this analysis from an esteemed professor at NYU in the same piece:
<blockquote>If anything, what we are witnessing is mass killings, which are not targeted against a specific group,” said Olajumoke Ayandele, an assistant professor at New York University’s Center for Global Affairs who specializes in conflict studies. &#8216;The drumming-up of genocide might worsen the situation because everyone is going to be on alert.&#8217;</blockquote>
In other words, according to the AP and this professor at NYU, Christians aren&#8217;t being targeted for extermination by Muslims, because both Christians and Muslims are being killed in large numbers by extremist groups. That&#8217;s the logic. It&#8217;s not just Christians who are dying. Therefore, Christians aren&#8217;t being massacred. It&#8217;s a bit like saying innocent people aren&#8217;t being targeted by the Joker, because the Joker also kills some of his henchmen when they make him angry.
The problem, of course, is that in both cases that the AP is talking about, the Muslims are the ones who are doing the killing. Christians aren&#8217;t raiding Muslim farms and mosques and massacring everyone. Christians aren&#8217;t lining up Muslims and shooting them in the head because they won&#8217;t convert.
Muslims are committing those atrocities against Christians. And yes, they&#8217;re also killing moderate Muslims. They&#8217;re killing Muslims they disagree with. And on top of that, they&#8217;re also killing Christians, as part of their explicit goal of religious conquest and worldwide jihad. There&#8217;s an ISIS affiliate that&#8217;s active in northeast Nigeria right now, called Islamic State – West Africa Province, or ISWAP, and they&#8217;re currently in the process of murdering and enslaving Christian men, women, and children on their way to establishing a new caliphate. They&#8217;re one of the most powerful ISIS groups anywhere in the world. That&#8217;s the part of the story the AP would rather skip over, as they attempt to &#8220;both sides&#8221; this ongoing slaughter.
But you can&#8217;t skip over that part of the story because it&#8217;s clearly relevant to how the United States should respond. Think about the rise of ISIS in Iraq a decade ago. Obama declared that they weren&#8217;t a big threat. He called ISIS the &#8220;JV team.&#8221; Then, just six months later, ISIS took over huge swaths of Syria and Iraq and said they were going to start a new caliphate. And it wasn&#8217;t until Donald Trump took office and dramatically intensified the Pentagon&#8217;s attacks on ISIS in 2017 that they were finally defeated in both Iraq and Syria.
This is an example of a targeted American military intervention overseas that had a clear, tangible positive result for Americans — by eliminating an organization that was committed to conducting acts of terrorism on our soil — while also saving the lives of hundreds of thousands of Christians. And make no mistake about it: Keeping Christians alive, wherever they may be, is clearly in the best interests of the United States. To that end, Donald Trump did not wage an endless war in the Middle East. It was a campaign that every reasonable person in the country thought was appropriate and justified.
What Trump is proposing to do now — as he says we&#8217;re going to carry out a &#8220;sweet&#8221; attack in Nigeria, going in &#8220;guns blazing&#8221; — is to follow the exact same strategy he used to great effect in his first administration. We have precedent showing that ISIS (and other Islamic militant groups) can be shut down, and very quickly. So why are Democrats opposing Trump&#8217;s apparent plan to attack Islamic terrorists in Nigeria?
One reason, of course, is that Democrats aren&#8217;t bothered by the persecution of Christians. They welcome it. After all, they persecute Christians within the borders of this country. Why would they care about Christians who are being slaughtered 5,000 miles away?
But there&#8217;s also something to be said for how Nigeria, in the eyes of Democrats, is a big success story for &#8220;democracy.&#8221; And they&#8217;re willing to cling to this mythology at all costs, no matter how many Christians need to die as a result. Every other month, the Biden administration would put out <a href="https://bidenwhitehouse.archives.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/05/29/statement-from-president-joe-biden-sending-warm-wishes-on-the-occasion-of-president-tinubus-inauguration-in-nigeria/#:~:text=As%20Africa's%20largest%20democracy%20and,can%20deliver%20for%20their%20needs." target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://bidenwhitehouse.archives.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/05/29/statement-from-president-joe-biden-sending-warm-wishes-on-the-occasion-of-president-tinubus-inauguration-in-nigeria/%23:~:text%3DAs%2520Africa's%2520largest%2520democracy%2520and,can%2520deliver%2520for%2520their%2520needs.&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1762364623124000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1ZW0h5TzIG7rcf0Lg_xDad">statements</a> about how Nigeria is &#8220;Africa&#8217;s largest democracy.&#8221; Go to the archived version of the White House website, and you&#8217;ll find about a dozen of them. And Nigeria&#8217;s president at the time, Muhammadu Buhari, returned the favor.
Buhari was one of the first world leaders to <a href="https://x.com/MBuhari/status/1325174546496811009">declare</a> that Joe Biden had won the 2020 election:
<blockquote>Congratulations to US President-Elect Joe Biden on his election at a time of uncertainty and fear in world affairs. His election is a reminder that democracy is the best form of government because it offers the people the opportunity to change their government by peaceful means.</blockquote>
So the messaging is pretty clear, from both sides. &#8220;Democracy,&#8221; as we all remember, was the Democrats&#8217; top buzzword for the past few years. They couldn&#8217;t stop throwing the word around. They said the United States is a democracy. They said Nigeria is a democracy. They said your local dentist&#8217;s office is a democracy. And in every single case, Democrats were using the word &#8220;democracy&#8221; to describe some of the most undemocratic practices imaginable. Of course, in this country, they went on about the importance of &#8220;democracy&#8221; as they attempted to imprison (and murder) the leading presidential candidate, along with everyone who ever worked for him. In Nigeria, they pontificated about democracy even as the state lost its monopoly on the use of force, and as Islamist terrorist groups seized control of large portions of the country.
But Nigeria isn&#8217;t really a democracy. It&#8217;s a failed state where Christians are being hunted en masse. And you have to ask yourself: If the entire corporate media and the Democratic Party are willing to lie to you about what&#8217;s happening in Nigeria, why wouldn&#8217;t they excuse the same type of massacre in this country? It would be one thing if they tried to claim that foreign entanglements are inherently risky, or that we don&#8217;t want to risk the lives of U.S. servicemembers, or that we can solve all of Nigeria&#8217;s problems — all of their &#8220;multidimensional poverty&#8221; — by sending them a little more money.
But they&#8217;re not doing any of that. They&#8217;re telling you that Christians aren&#8217;t actually being gunned down, even though it&#8217;s happening on camera. Whatever Donald Trump chooses to do in Nigeria, Christians in this country — and all over the world — should never forget that. The people who want you dead aren&#8217;t just in Boko Haram, ISWAP, or ISIS. They&#8217;re not 5,000 miles away. They&#8217;re trying to return to power. They&#8217;re running in several major elections today, in fact. If that sounds like an overstatement — ask yourself, how are Christians <a href="https://persecution.org/2024/04/08/six-christians-killed-on-good-friday-in-somalia/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://persecution.org/2024/04/08/six-christians-killed-on-good-friday-in-somalia/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1762364623124000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2FPHN6xZxnbEdkXEZx05_g">treated</a> in Somalia? It&#8217;s one of the most dangerous countries in the world for Christians. They&#8217;re murdered (and beheaded) for their faith all the time. Last Good Friday, Islamist militants shot six Christians in the shop where they worked, before torching the shop. What do you think happens when major cities in this country become indistinguishable from Somalia?
If they win today&#8217;s elections, with the help of millions of imported foreign voters, in Democrats&#8217; eyes, it&#8217;ll be a major victory for &#8220;democracy.&#8221; What they won&#8217;t tell you is that their ideal version of democracy isn&#8217;t anything Ben Franklin or Thomas Jefferson had in mind. It&#8217;s Nigeria and Somalia&#8217;s definition of &#8220;democracy.&#8221; And one election in New York or Minneapolis at a time, we&#8217;re on our way to getting just that.

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