Trump Orders Christmas Airstrikes: U.S. Crushes ISIS After Nigerian Christian Attacks

Paul Riverbank, 12/26/2025Trump orders Christmas airstrikes in Nigeria after Christian attacks, sparking global debate and controversy.

The news traveled fast, and not just through diplomatic channels. In the President’s words, the United States will not “stand by as Christians are attacked.” It was one of those moments when political rhetoric and military action converged, sharpened, perhaps, by the symbolism of the holiday.

Trump, comfortably ensconced in his familiar role as Commander-in-Chief, praised the U.S. military for its “perfect strikes.” He did not mince words. According to his Christmas message, future attacks would be met with similar, if not greater, force. For some, the invocation of “the Department of War,” an old name not used in decades, added an almost retro gravitas. “May God Bless our Military, and MERRY CHRISTMAS to all, including the dead Terrorists,” he concluded, blurring piety and policy in a singular style.

None of this, however, arrived out of thin air. In the weeks leading up to the holiday, Trump had rattled diplomatic cages by warning Nigerian officials: Stop the violence, or risk losing American aid — and possibly facing military intervention. “If the Nigerian Government continues to allow the killing of Christians, the U.S.A. will immediately stop all aid,” he warned bluntly on Truth Social last month. The latest airstrikes, then, felt less like an impulsive volley and more like the fulfillment of a stark threat.

The move drew immediate applause from Republican lawmakers, their statements crackling with a blend of outrage and relief. “GENOCIDE CAN’T BE IGNORED,” one GOP official wrote, holding up the strikes as proof that America still has teeth when it comes to defending religious freedom. Public figures took note too; Nicki Minaj, never one to sidestep controversy, went so far as to praise the attacks in front of the United Nations. She addressed the room, speaking not just as an entertainer but as someone moved, perhaps unexpectedly, by the story of threatened worship in another hemisphere.

But of course, Nigeria’s history with terrorism is layered and bloody. Groups like Boko Haram and ISWAP — both offshoots with declared loyalty to ISIS — have plagued the north of Nigeria for years, specializing in kidnappings, village raids, and attacks on churches. Tens of thousands, most of them ordinary villagers, have become casualties or captives, while Nigerian security forces have often struggled — sometimes nobly, sometimes inadequately — to protect those who live in the crossfire.

People on the ground, like Judd Saul of Truth Nigeria, have chronicled the grim toll with a mix of urgency and fatigue. Saul, bracing for holiday violence, warned that December’s festivities often brought bloodshed in their wake. His tone was one of weary vigilance, reflecting an understanding that the Christmas season, so cheery elsewhere, can be a countdown to disaster for families in Plateau, Kaduna, and Benue states.

That’s the context into which the holiday strikes dropped — sudden, ferocious, and, admittedly, controversial. For U.S. supporters, here was reassurance that Washington could and would act decisively to defend the vulnerable, especially Christians who remain easy targets for Nigeria’s insurgent groups. To critics, though, such dramatic interventions raise the specter of unintended consequences: Will airstrikes actually blunt terror campaigns, or simply shift them elsewhere? Does boldness abroad sap vital diplomatic leverage, or restore it?

Trump, for his part, wrapped up his statement with a warning that barely disguised its promise: There would be more strikes if the violence persisted, no matter the calendar date. As families in the U.S. finished their Christmas dinners, and as church bells faded into darkness in Nigeria, the world was left to absorb a message as complex as the holiday itself — one that paired resolve and threat in equal measure, and reminded everyone watching that, sometimes, history finds its crucible on the nights we least expect.

Christmas night, typically reserved for quiet gatherings and goodwill, erupted into something entirely different this year. Just as midnight services lit up sanctuaries across America, President Trump took to Truth Social to announce a surprise: U.S. forces had unleashed airstrikes on ISIS targets in the northwest of Nigeria. With his characteristic mix of bravado and confidence, Trump declared, “Tonight, at my direction… the United States launched a powerful and deadly strike against ISIS Terrorist Scum in Northwest Nigeria,” making it clear these strikes were in response to what he described as an “unprecedented” wave of violence against Christians.The news traveled fast, and not just through diplomatic channels. In the President’s words, the United States will not “stand by as Christians are attacked.” It was one of those moments when political rhetoric and military action converged, sharpened, perhaps, by the symbolism of the holiday.Trump, comfortably ensconced in his familiar role as Commander-in-Chief, praised the U.S. military for its “perfect strikes.” He did not mince words. According to his Christmas message, future attacks would be met with similar, if not greater, force. For some, the invocation of “the Department of War,” an old name not used in decades, added an almost retro gravitas. “May God Bless our Military, and MERRY CHRISTMAS to all, including the dead Terrorists,” he concluded, blurring piety and policy in a singular style.None of this, however, arrived out of thin air. In the weeks leading up to the holiday, Trump had rattled diplomatic cages by warning Nigerian officials: Stop the violence, or risk losing American aid — and possibly facing military intervention. “If the Nigerian Government continues to allow the killing of Christians, the U.S.A. will immediately stop all aid,” he warned bluntly on Truth Social last month. The latest airstrikes, then, felt less like an impulsive volley and more like the fulfillment of a stark threat.The move drew immediate applause from Republican lawmakers, their statements crackling with a blend of outrage and relief. “GENOCIDE CAN’T BE IGNORED,” one GOP official wrote, holding up the strikes as proof that America still has teeth when it comes to defending religious freedom. Public figures took note too; Nicki Minaj, never one to sidestep controversy, went so far as to praise the attacks in front of the United Nations. She addressed the room, speaking not just as an entertainer but as someone moved, perhaps unexpectedly, by the story of threatened worship in another hemisphere.But of course, Nigeria’s history with terrorism is layered and bloody. Groups like Boko Haram and ISWAP — both offshoots with declared loyalty to ISIS — have plagued the north of Nigeria for years, specializing in kidnappings, village raids, and attacks on churches. Tens of thousands, most of them ordinary villagers, have become casualties or captives, while Nigerian security forces have often struggled — sometimes nobly, sometimes inadequately — to protect those who live in the crossfire.People on the ground, like Judd Saul of Truth Nigeria, have chronicled the grim toll with a mix of urgency and fatigue. Saul, bracing for holiday violence, warned that December’s festivities often brought bloodshed in their wake. His tone was one of weary vigilance, reflecting an understanding that the Christmas season, so cheery elsewhere, can be a countdown to disaster for families in Plateau, Kaduna, and Benue states.That’s the context into which the holiday strikes dropped — sudden, ferocious, and, admittedly, controversial. For U.S. supporters, here was reassurance that Washington could and would act decisively to defend the vulnerable, especially Christians who remain easy targets for Nigeria’s insurgent groups. To critics, though, such dramatic interventions raise the specter of unintended consequences: Will airstrikes actually blunt terror campaigns, or simply shift them elsewhere? Does boldness abroad sap vital diplomatic leverage, or restore it?Trump, for his part, wrapped up his statement with a warning that barely disguised its promise: There would be more strikes if the violence persisted, no matter the calendar date. As families in the U.S. finished their Christmas dinners, and as church bells faded into darkness in Nigeria, the world was left to absorb a message as complex as the holiday itself — one that paired resolve and threat in equal measure, and reminded everyone watching that, sometimes, history finds its crucible on the nights we least expect.