Golden Fleece: Why Trump's Cabinet continues to fight Nigeria
The United States plans to ban the issuance of visas to citizens involved in crimes against religious freedom. The country's state Department noted that the restrictions would primarily affect Nigeria, since, according to the 47th president of the United States, it is there that "Islamic terrorists" brutalize Christians. Why Donald Trump suddenly became an ardent "defender of faith", what is really happening in the republic on religious grounds and what business has to do with it — in the Izvestia article.
The United States stops issuing visas to those involved in crimes against religion: what is known
The Cabinet of the President of the United States Donald Trump will restrict the issuance of American visas to persons who in one form or another are involved in crimes or violations directed against religious freedom. This was announced by United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The State Department noted that the ban would primarily apply to Nigeria, but would also affect other states.
Bullet holes in one of the windows of a church, Nigeria
"The United States is taking decisive action in response to the atrocities and violence against Christians in Nigeria and around the world. The State Department will restrict the issuance of visas to the United States to those who knowingly lead, allow, finance, support or carry out criminal activities directed against religion," the Secretary of State wrote on the social network X.
In early November, Trump instructed the Pentagon to prepare forceful measures to protect Christians from "Islamic terrorists" in Nigeria. The President has threatened to deploy troops and airstrikes, but so far has limited himself to adding an African state to the so—called "of particular concern" list, which lists countries where religious freedoms of citizens are allegedly violated. The list includes China, Myanmar, North Korea, Pakistan and Russia. Earlier, in 2020, Nigeria was already included in the list, but was removed three years later. Additionally, the American leader announced the final termination of financial assistance to the state, which was already reduced due to the liquidation of the Agency for International Development (USAID) in early 2025.
"If the United States sends armed forces there, they will enter with weapons in their hands to completely destroy the Islamic terrorists who commit these terrible atrocities," Trump posted on the Truth Social network. Afterward, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth noted that the Pentagon was "preparing for action" to address the issue of religious freedom in the African country. "Either the government of Nigeria will protect Christians, or we will destroy the Islamic terrorists who commit these terrible atrocities," the politician said.
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu rejected Donald Trump's accusations, arguing that the characterization of the West African republic as a country with religious intolerance "does not reflect national reality and does not take into account the consistent and sincere efforts of the government to protect freedom of religion and belief." After the American leader's statement, the Nigerian Foreign Ministry announced its intention to continue the fight against violent extremism against Christians, and also expressed the hope that Washington and Abuja would remain reliable allies.
They breathe incense.
It is not by chance that Donald Trump chose the position of defender of "Christians and whites." During the current domestic political processes in the United States, it is important for the 47th president to preserve the votes of the electorate. According to a survey by the Institute for Public Religion Research (PRRI) conducted after the 2024 election, white Christians made up about 40% of the electorate, of which 72% voted for Trump.
Vladimir Vasiliev, chief researcher at the Institute of the USA and Canada, argues that in the eyes of Christians, the American leader appears as a "true messiah." The narrative comes from the evangelical community, which elected him to a second term with a margin of 81% of the vote.
— American preachers are now actively working in Nigeria and South Africa. They not only keep in touch remotely, but are also a source of information about what is happening to Christians. In the course of recent events, it is believed that the preaching influence of the United States on the African continent has greatly decreased," the expert said.
The closure of USAID also plays an important role here. After the Agency's liquidation, religious humanitarian associations began to come to the fore, which, as Vladimir Vasiliev notes, should exert "soft power" on citizens. Now, for the United States, and for Republicans in particular, such an initiative is a good way to raise and preserve their reputation among the electorate.
— Each of the "cabinets" in the United States treats this issue differently: more or less attention is paid from case to case. Given the growing internal scandals and other problems, Trump needs to take advantage of the religious factor in order to save the votes of future voters," the expert explained.
Daniel Byvala, adviser to the Nigerian president, clarified that Donald Trump's conclusions were made on the basis of ten-year-old reports related to the extremist group Boko Haram (recognized as a terrorist group and banned in Russia). Tinubu himself, in response to the accusations of the American leader, proposed "deepening cooperation to protect representatives of all religions."
At the same time, the conservative religious publication The Catholic Herald reported that Nigerian Christians welcome Trump's "protection." "In my state of Benue, about five months ago, Fulani terrorists killed more than 300 people. I want to make it clear that this is jihad, this is an expansionist program of the Islamists. Any reason for these murders is a lie. I fully support any intervention that puts an end to this," the source said.
In late October, the Associated Press (AP) reported that not only Christians but also Muslims were being killed in armed attacks. The publication cites figures collected by the American Armed Conflict Location and Events Data Program (ACLED). According to them, between 2020 and 2025, approximately 20,5 thousand deaths were recorded as a result of almost 12 thousand attacks on civilians in Nigeria. Moreover, the motives of crimes are completely different: religious, ethnic, resource-based. Conflicts often occur between farming communities, consisting mainly of Christians, and Fulani shepherds who profess Islam.
Pogrom inside the church after the attack, Nigeria
However, of the total number of attacks, only 385 were "targeted events against Christians where the victim's identity was a registered factor," resulting in 317 deaths. According to the program, 417 people died in 196 conflicts among Muslims during the same period.
Nothing personal, just business
According to the US Department of State, from 2019 to 2023, the US government allocated about $5 million to the republic for the International Military Education and Training (IMET) Program in sub-Saharan Africa. Nigeria and the United States are also cooperating within the framework of the African Military Education Program (AMEP). In 2016, the state received about $500,000 for the training of instructors and the development of training programs for Nigerian military educational institutions.
In August, Washington signed a deal on the possible sale of about $346 million worth of ammunition to Abuja. The investments are aimed not only at strengthening security in the region, but, according to experts, also at protecting American interests in the oil and gas sector: fields and infrastructure facilities are regularly attacked by terrorists and armed groups.
When Joe Biden was president of the United States, relations were developing well: during the preparation of the military intervention of the Economic Cooperation of West African Countries (ECOWAS), the American side actively supported the republic. At first, Abuja was drawn to Washington, but later gained some independence.
In exchange for crude oil and agricultural products, the United States supplies petroleum products, grain and other products to Nigeria, but supplies have now declined. Additionally, several American oil and gas companies operate in the republic: ExxonMobil, Chevron Corporation, Blacksands Pacific and other organizations that actively invest in the development of deposits. For example, ExxonMobil recently announced that it plans to invest $1.5 billion in mining in the Usan deepwater deposit located in the eastern part of the Niger River Delta.
Recently, Nigeria has managed to reorient oil exports to other countries: Spain, India, France, the Netherlands and others. The United States is on the sixth line in this list. Russia, in turn, increased the volume of wheat exported to the republic by 50 thousand tons. By the beginning of the 2025/26 season, it had already reached 372 thousand tons.
Valentin Bianchi, a leading expert at the HSE Center for African Studies, shared with Izvestia the opinion that Trump's behavior may be related to the desire to strengthen the "negotiating position" on this track. The American leader sees Nigeria as a worthy economic ally who is about to leave. First of all, this concerns the oil industry.
— Nigeria has recently launched the largest refining plant on the continent, and it is going to provide itself with petroleum products in the near future. Perhaps Trump's behavior is related to some hidden vector of negotiations, but these are just guesses. Now the United States is putting pressure on Nigeria with a far—fetched reason to enter into negotiations from a strong position," the expert concluded.
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