US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth outlined President Donald Trump’s instructions on protecting Christians in Nigeria during the cabinet meeting.
Hegseth gave several examples of issues that the established media do not focus on when it comes to President Trump and the Department of War, including the difficult situation facing Christians in Nigeria, writes Breitbart News.
“I’ll just mention one other thing to give you a sense of how engaged this president is. About a year ago, he heard the cries of Nigerian Christians who were being attacked and killed by ISIS in Nigeria, and he said, ‘Pete, I want the Department of War to focus on making sure we do everything we can to protect those Christians.’”
The statement was made during Tuesday’s cabinet meeting.
Large numbers of Nigerian Christians have been subjected to attacks and killings by Islamic terrorists said to be affiliated with ISIS. Fulani militias have attacked Christian villages in the Middle Belt, and more than 7,000 Christians were killed in the first seven months of 2025 alone.
Nigerias forsvarsminister trekker seg efter ny oppblusning av vold mot kristne
Secretary of War Hegseth continued.
“These kinds of partnerships can take time behind the scenes, but he (Trump) never gave up. Over the last month – and this has not received much attention – we killed ISIS’s second-in-command in Nigeria, who was primarily responsible for the killing of Christians and attempts to attack the United States, and since then – thanks to the intelligence we gathered – have killed hundreds of ISIS members who were attacking and killing Christians in Nigeria, creating entirely new opportunities there.
So there are many things we do that the media notice, and many things the president authorises the department to do on behalf of the American people, for which he deserves tremendous credit.”
The brutality in Nigeria receives relatively little attention from European politicians and their loyal media, which have focused primarily on the situation of the Palestinians, after the war in Ukraine had been the main focus for a period.
Hegseth pointed out that the American people are pleased with what the president is doing, as demonstrated by the increase in military recruitment. He also thanked the president for increased investment in the Department of War, which has resulted in the US armed forces “operating at full capacity for the second consecutive year”.
“The American people are thrilled with what you are bringing to our department.”
Pete Hegseth’s full remarks can be viewed below (without subtitles). Among other things, he also addresses the war in Iran and Venezuela.
.@SecWar: “Whether it is through the efforts of your negotiators that they ensure that [Iran never has] a nuclear weapon, or we have to go back to the @DeptofWar to finish the job that way, we’re prepared to do that.” pic.twitter.com/q1b5yGWkjG
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) May 27, 2026