Trump placed Nigeria on watchlist after watching show on Fox News – Report

Trump

United States President Donald Trump placed Nigeria on a watchlist after watching a Fox News segment on how Christians were being persecuted in the West African country, CNN reports.

On Friday, Trump redesignated Nigeria as a “country of particular concern” in response to allegations of targeted Christian killings in the country.

“Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria. Thousands of Christians are being killed,” he wrote in a Truth Social post.

He blamed radical Islamists for the “mass slaughter”.

“I am hereby making Nigeria a ‘COUNTRY OF PARTICULAR CONCERN’,” he declared.

The report by CNN said Trump was on ‘Air Force One’ on his way to Florida when he watched the story and was immediately triggered by it.

Shortly after the plane touched down in West Palm Beach, the president began posting on Truth Social.

Thereafter, Trump fixated on the plight of Christians in Nigeria throughout the weekend, which led him to ask his secretary of defence to “prepare for possible action”.

The president also warned that US troops will enter Nigeria “guns-a-blazing” to protect the Christian population.

CNN quoted a White House official as saying the president has “been tracking this issue previously and had already begun thinking about Truthing it out”.