President Donald Trump posted a string of Christmas Day messages on social media, including one in which he said the U.S. had carried out military strikes in Nigeria.
Just before 6 p.m. ET on Dec. 25, the president wrote, “Tonight, at my direction as Commander in Chief, the United States launched a powerful and deadly strike against ISIS Terrorist Scum in Northwest Nigeria, who have been targeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians, at levels not seen for many years, and even Centuries!”
“I have previously warned these Terrorists that if they did not stop the slaughtering of Christians, there would be hell to pay, and tonight, there was,” he continued. “The Department of War executed numerous perfect strikes, as only the United States is capable of doing. Under my leadership, our Country will not allow Radical Islamic Terrorism to prosper.”
“May God Bless our Military, and MERRY CHRISTMAS to all, including the dead Terrorists, of which there will be many more if their slaughter of Christians continues,” Trump added.
In a separate post, Trump, 79, also lashed out at “the many Sleazebags who loved Jeffrey Epstein,” the New York Times and Democrats, revisiting long-running accusations tied to Russian interference in the 2016 election.
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“Now the same losers are at it again, only this time so many of their friends, mostly innocent, will be badly hurt and reputationally tarnished,” he wrote. “But sadly, that’s the way it is in the World of Corrupt Democrat Politics!!! Enjoy what may be your last Merry Christmas!”
U.S. Africa Command (Africom) confirmed the Christmas strikes in a statement to The Hill, saying the military action was “at the request of Nigerian authorities in Soboto State killing multiple ISIS terrorists.”
“Lethal strikes against ISIS demonstrate the strength of our military and our commitment to eliminating terrorist threats against Americans at home and abroad,” Africom said in its statement.
Trump labeled Nigeria a “country of particular concern” in November. Religious violence has been a growing concern in the Muslim-majority country in recent years, with terrorist groups like ISIS, ISWAP and Boko Haram responsible for nearly 17,000 civilian deaths between October 2019 and September 2024, according to data compiled by the Observatory for Religious Freedom in Africa (ORFA). The rate of civilian kidnappings also rose notably during that time period.
Several celebrities have urged the Trump administration to take action in Nigeria. Rapper Nicki Minaj addressed the United Nations on Nov. 18, praising the president for allowing her to speak on religious violence.
Minaj, 42, began her remarks by saying, “I would like to thank President Trump for prioritizing this issue and his leadership on the global stage in calling for urgent action to defend Christians in Nigeria and to combat extremism and to bring a stop to violence against those who simply want to express their natural right to freedom of religion or belief.”
“Religious freedom means we all can sing our faith regardless of who we are, where we live, and what we believe. But today, faith is under attack in way too many places,” she continued. “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.”
During her speech, Minaj repeatedly emphasized that her decision to speak was “not about taking sides or dividing people. It is about uniting humanity.”
“It’s about what I’ve always stood for my entire career, and I will continue to stand for that for the rest of my life,” she concluded.
Minaj continued her support for Trump during her controversial appearance at Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest convention on Dec. 21.
The “Super Bass” rapper walked out hand-in-hand with Turning Point CEO Erika Kirk — who attended the political gathering in Phoenix for the first time since the death of her husband, Charlie Kirk.
“I have the utmost respect and admiration for our president. I don’t know if he even knows this, but he’s given so many people hope,” the rapper replied.
When asked about her decision to support Trump, Minaj said she “got tired of being pushed around.”
“I have something inside of me that’s stronger than what’s out there. So when you’ve had enough, you realize, ‘Wait a minute, why do I even care about these people and what they think? Who are they?’ They don’t even know who they are. So I’m not going to back down anymore. I’m not going to back down ever again,” she explained.
Following the backlash to her appearance at the conservative event, Minaj deactivated her Instagram account.
