Morning Wire – Nigeria on Notice: The Trump Administration Zeros In On Christian Persecution

Date: November 8, 2025
Hosts: Georgia Howe, John Bickley
Guest: Megan Basham (Daily Wire culture reporter)
Key Voices: President Donald Trump, Congressman Riley Moore, Senator Ted Cruz, Pastor Brad Brandon

Episode Overview

This episode centers on the new U.S. designation of Nigeria as a "country of particular concern" (CPC) for religious freedom violations under the Trump administration. The discussion explores the escalation of Christian persecution in Nigeria, the U.S. government's response, media narratives, the stance of the Nigerian government, pressures from international actors (notably China), and the on-the-ground reality faced by Nigerian Christians.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The U.S. CPC Designation and Trump’s Action

• President Trump's Statement (00:50)
  President Trump declared Nigeria a CPC, citing systemic Christian persecution:

  “Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria. Thousands and thousands of Christians are being killed. Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter. ... The United States cannot stand by while such atrocities are happening in Nigeria and numerous other countries.”
  Trump signals willingness for diplomatic, economic, and even potential military action.

• Meaning and Implications of CPC Status (03:09–04:46)
  Megan Basham explains, with insight from Congressman Riley Moore:

  • CPC status unlocks up to 15 different tools: sanctions, foreign aid cuts, arms and military restrictions, etc.
  • Billions of dollars have gone to Nigeria for military aid that has “not delivered results” on protecting Christians.
  • The designation aims to compel the Nigerian government to act.

• Escalation and Denial (04:46–06:43)

  • Christian deaths have dramatically escalated: 25,000 in 4 years (per Inter Society); more than in any country worldwide.
  • Pastor Brad Brandon cites over 50,000 Christians killed since 2009 and mass displacement.

    “It is very common for areas, villages to be attacked, burned, houses burned out, entire villages razed.” (06:03) “In a community called Yalawatta ... 250 Christians were killed in one night.” (06:03)

• Trump’s Truth Social Warning (06:43)
  Cited statement from Trump:

  “If the Nigerian government continues to allow the killing of Christians, the USA will immediately stop all aid ... and may very well go into that now disgraced country, guns a blazing.”
  “If we attack, it will be fast, vicious and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attack our cherished Christians.”

2. Media and Government Denials

• Legacy Media Downplaying (08:08–09:33)

  • AP, BBC, and others reported skepticism about religious motivation for violence in Nigeria.
  • Nigerian officials claim violence is due to “farmland disputes” or “climate change,” not religious persecution.
  • Senator Ted Cruz criticizes this:

    “If the victims are Christians, then the AP has no interest whatsoever in covering it because they don’t like Christians... And that's how we get something like Comrade Mondame in New York City.” (09:04)

• Complex Motivations, but No Denial of Genocide (09:33–11:30)

  • Pastor Brandon acknowledges land conflicts exist but insists religious persecution is real and extremely severe:

    “It’s disproportionate when you’re looking at the Muslim on Christian violence. Certainly Christians are being targeted all throughout northern Nigeria specifically.” (10:28)

    • 3.5 million people in IDP camps—80% are Christians, their homes/villages destroyed.

  • Denial is “laughable” given the evidence (10:28).

  • Genocides historically involve denial as they occur:

    “When genocides happen, there’s always people who are going to try to cover it up so they can operate under darkness.” (11:38)

3. U.S. Government and Legislative Moves

• Warnings Ignored by Nigerian Government (12:01–12:56)

  • Congressman Moore details government indifference despite prior warnings, with tragic outcomes:

    “A pastor raised the red flag ... Within 24 hours, that pastor and 20 of his congregants were murdered.” (12:16)

• Congressional and Senate Actions (12:56–14:08)

  • Moore pushing a House resolution to condemn Nigerian persecutions.
  • Senator Ted Cruz introduced the Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act of 2025 to direct the State Department to re-instate CPC status and sanction local/provincial officials complicit in the violence:

    “The United States has enormous leverage, both diplomatic and economic... when I began calling out Nigeria for this mass murder of Christians, you had Nigerian politicians across the spectrum in Nigeria trying to argue against it because they are very, very afraid of the United States using our leverage to force them to change.” (13:13)

4. International Response: China and Others

• China’s Position (14:18–15:57)

  • Nigeria has deep economic and military ties with China.
  • China “firmly supports” Nigeria’s path and warns the U.S. not to interfere.
  • Moore says China’s interest is in resource extraction, not human rights, and they won’t impede the U.S. response:

    “For them, the status quo is great ... They don't care about the mass killing. They just don’t want the United States involved ...” (15:13) “We’re not going to let the Chinese dictate US foreign policy ... particularly coming from a country who has been locking up Christians in their own country.” (15:57)

• EU and UK Reactions (16:16)

  • EU offers a measured statement—reaffirms religious freedom but echoes Nigerian claims that multiple factors cause the violence.
  • UK Parliament members calling for a fact-finding mission; potential solidarity.

5. On-the-ground Voices from Nigerian Christians

• Social Media Testimonies and Direct Appeals (17:02–18:26)

  • Nigerian priests have begun carrying guns to protect their flocks.

  • Pastors publicly plead for U.S. intervention:

    “We are dying to be outside performing burial every day. ... Tell Trump to save our life in Nigeria. They are killing Christians in Nigeria. Massacre Christian if they say they kill Muslims. By whom? By Muslims.” (17:25)

  • Widespread sense that Western churches have been “eerily silent” until recently (18:41).

  • Pastor Brandon:

    “We've been working in Northern Nigeria for 10 years, crying from the mountaintops that this has been going on and gotten very little response.” (18:41)

• Personal Story of Loss (19:16–20:39)

  • Pastor Brad Brandon recounts the murder of a close friend and ministry partner:

    “We dropped him off at his house one evening and Muslim extremists broke into his compound. They burned his church to the ground, they burned his house to the ground, and they hacked him to death in his bed. I know that that's gruesome, but that's a reality in northern Nigeria.” (19:16)

  • Many ministry workers and friends have been killed.

• Call to Action for U.S. Christians (20:39)

  • Pastor Brandon urges American Christians to pray, raise their voices, and consider supporting ministries working in Nigeria.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• President Trump (00:50):

  “The United States cannot stand by while such atrocities are happening ... We stand ready, willing and able to save our great Christian population around the world.”

• Congressman Riley Moore (04:46):

  “We have been providing [military equipment] to Nigeria now for years and years ... Billions of dollars ... and we're not seeing the results bear out.”

• Pastor Brad Brandon (06:03):

  “A culture of death ... villages to be attacked, burned, houses burned out, entire villages razed...”

• Senator Ted Cruz (09:04):

  “The AP is behaving ... like most leftists ... the atrocities of radical Islamic terrorists are of no concern to them. ... If the victims are Christians, then the AP has no interest whatsoever in covering it ...”

• Pastor Brad Brandon (11:38):

  “When genocides happen, there’s always people who are going to try to cover it up so that they can operate under darkness.”

• Nigerian Pastor to Trump (17:25):

  “Tell Trump to save our life in Nigeria. They are killing Christians in Nigeria.”

Key Segment Timestamps

| Topic/Segment | Timestamp | |--------------------------------------------------------------|-------------| | Trump’s official declaration and call to action | 00:50 | | Explanation of CPC designation, congressional insight | 03:09–04:46 | | Scale and details of Christian persecution | 04:46–06:43 | | Trump’s direct threat on Truth Social | 06:43 | | Media and government denial, Ted Cruz’s critique | 08:08–09:33 | | Ground reality, personal testimonies (Pastor Brandon) | 09:33–11:38 | | Example of ignored warning, legislative actions | 12:01–14:08 | | China’s role and international responses | 14:18–16:54 | | Direct appeals from Nigerian Christians | 17:02–18:41 | | Personal story of martyrdom, call to prayer/action | 19:16–20:57 |

Tone & Style

• Factual, urgent, and at times somber.
• Clear frustration from both U.S. officials and humanitarian workers over denial and inaction.
• Emphasis on U.S. responsibility and moral leadership.
• Appeals for awareness, solidarity, and action especially from Western Christians.

Conclusion

This episode offers a comprehensive look at Nigeria’s Christian persecution crisis as it becomes a geopolitical flashpoint. The Trump administration is ramping up diplomatic and economic pressure, challenging both the Nigerian government’s denials and the Western media’s narratives. Voices on the ground underscore the reality and scale of suffering, calling for Western awareness, prayer, and tangible support. The episode closes with a pledge by Morning Wire to follow Congressional developments and a clear message: this is an urgent, ongoing human rights tragedy demanding global attention.