President Donald Trump has for the first time publicly acknowledged that Muslims are also victims of killings in Nigeria, a shift from his earlier assertions that Christians were being singularly targeted. Speaking in an interview with The New York Times, Trump said, “I think that Muslims are being killed also in Nigeria. But it’s mostly Christians,” a quote attributed to him by the newspaper. Despite conceding that multiple faiths are affected by insecurity, the US president maintained that Christians constitute the majority of victims, adding, “I’d love to make it a one-time strike … But if they continue to kill Christians, it will be a many-time strike.”
Trump had in late October warned that Christianity faced an “existential threat” in Nigeria and threatened possible military intervention, accusing the Nigerian government of failing to protect Christian communities. He also redesignated Nigeria a Country of Particular Concern, claiming the government was weak in safeguarding lives. Following diplomatic pushback, the Federal Government sent a high-powered delegation to the US to present a fuller picture of the security crisis, after which top American officials visited Nigeria to gather first-hand assessments.