US President Donald Trump has made good on his threat to take military action against Nigeria to save Christians from a “genocide.” Trump has three possible motives: his mercantilist quest for rare-earth minerals, his pandering to evangelical Christians, and his racist grievances.
PRETORIA – On the eve of America’s imperial invasion of the Philippines in 1899, the British poet and defender of empire Rudyard Kipling urged the United States to:
Take up the White Man’s burden–
The savage wars of peace–
Fill full the mouth of famine
And bid the sickness cease;
The echoes of colonial-era justifications for empire are surprisingly loud today. On the eve of America’s invasion of the Philippines in 1899, Rudyard Kipling urged the US to embrace its “civilizing” mission. Now, President Donald Trump authorized a military strike on Christmas Day against a terrorist camp in northwestern Nigeria—a country of 230 million people rich in oil and minerals—claiming he was acting to save the country’s Christian population from a supposed “genocide.”
Trump recently posted on social media that the US might “go into that now disgraced country, ‘guns-a-blazing,’ to completely wipe out the Islamic Terrorists.” But the reality on the ground is far more complex. While conflicts in Nigeria have caused over 100,000 deaths since 2011, including around 8,000 people in 2025 alone, Trump’s concern for Nigerian lives seems selective, especially considering he once labeled several African nations as “shithole countries” and dismantled aid programs that assisted 270,000 Nigerians and funded roughly 21% of the country’s healthcare budget.
What’s driving this sudden interest in Nigeria? Three potential motives stand out. First, Trump’s well-known pursuit of rare-earth minerals—roughly 30% of which are found in Africa—could be a key factor. His July meeting with five African presidents was largely focused on securing access to these resources, as were his attempts to mediate disputes in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda.
This isn’t a new tactic. As far back as 2011, Trump proposed seizing Iraqi oil to “reimburse” the US for its military interventions. More recently, his aggressive actions against Venezuela, including the seizure of an oil tanker, bordered on piracy.
Nigeria’s current situation makes it particularly vulnerable. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu leads a government steeped in “prebendalism”—a system where public office is used for personal gain—according to political scientist Richard Joseph. This, combined with widespread corruption and a lack of accountability, has crippled Nigeria’s ability to effectively combat terrorism and maintain security.
Years of mismanagement have left Nigeria’s military and police forces ill-equipped and demoralized. Reports suggest that weapons are being sold to criminal groups, and some officials are even suspected of collaborating with terrorists. US sanctions against these individuals would likely be welcomed by many Nigerians.
The conflicts themselves are multifaceted. While jihadist groups like Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province operate in the northeast, they kill more Muslims than Christians. In the Middle Belt, clashes between Fulani herders and Christian farmers are driven by competition over land and resources, not solely religion. And in the northwest, banditry is the primary motive behind kidnappings and violence.
Another possible explanation for Trump’s actions is appealing to his base of white evangelical Christians, who remain among his most loyal supporters. Think tanks like the Heritage Foundation and the Gatestone Institute have amplified false narratives of “Christian genocide” in Nigeria, recently echoed by US Senator Ted Cruz. By positioning himself as a defender of Christians, Trump could be aiming to solidify his political support.
Finally, Trump’s rhetoric taps into racist stereotypes and plays the “white savior” trope. He has repeatedly made inflammatory statements, falsely accusing South Africa’s government of “genocide” against white farmers and disparaging Somali immigrants. His new National Security Strategy even calls for restricting immigration to Europe to preserve its “European” character.
On Christmas Day, Trump—in coordination with the Nigerian government—ordered Tomahawk missile strikes against what he called “ISIS Terrorist Scum” in Sokoto state. “MERRY CHRISTMAS to all, including the dead Terrorists, of which there will be many more if their slaughter of Christians continues,” Trump warned on social media.
While some Nigerians may welcome action against security failings, for Trump and his supporters, Nigeria appears to be just another opportunity to revive an era of white Christian dominance.
