United States President Donald Trump publicly praised Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, during the 74th National Prayer Breakfast on Thursday.
While addressing a global audience of faith leaders and policymakers, Trump highlighted the First Lady’s dual role as a political figure and a religious leader, notably referring to her as a “very respected woman.”
During his keynote address at the event, which brings together members of the U.S Congress and international dignitaries, Trump praised Remi Tinubu by recognizing her extensive background in the Christian ministry.
The U.S President noted her service as a pastor in the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), one of Nigeria’s largest denominations, which added a layer of spiritual commonality to the high-profile gathering.
“We’re honoured to be joined today by the First Lady of Nigeria, who also happens to serve as a Christian pastor at the largest church in Nigeria.
“A very respected woman. First Lady, please, where are you? Thank you very much. It’s a great honour. Thank you very much. Very respected person, too. Thank you,” Trump said as he looked into the crowd.
Mrs Tinubu is an ordained pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, which is among Nigeria’s largest and most influential Pentecostal denominations.
Speaking further, Trump disclosed that the American government coordinated the Sokoto Christmas Day air strikes against ISIS terrorists in collaboration with the Nigerian government.
He said, “On Christmas Day in close coordination with the government of Nigeria, we worked with them, but they’ve got to get tougher.
“I ordered powerful air strikes to decimate the ISIS terrorists who have been slaughtering Christians in that country by the thousands. It’s not even believable.
“We hit them so hard they still don’t know what the hell happened. And we were going to do it on a different day. I said no, do it on Christmas. So they understand it.”
“Remember, Christmas was when I ran in 2015. When I announced, I said we’re going to bring back Christmas because the word Christmas was almost gone and people didn’t use Christmas anymore.
“We brought back the word Christmas. They didn’t want to use it and we’re using it again.”
He added that he gave specific instructions to ensure the operation took place on Christmas Day.
“I specifically told Pete, I said hit them on Christmas Day, not earlier and not later. And man, did he hit them. So then we hit them again recently. We hit them again pretty hard,” Trump said.
The remarks came amid continued international attention on Nigeria’s security situation following recent claims by Trump and some U.S lawmakers that Christians in Nigeria face widespread violence.
In late 2025, Trump designated Nigeria as a “country of particular concern” over alleged attacks on Christians — a move that drew criticism from the Nigerian government, which rejected the claims as inaccurate and harmful to national unity.
The Federal Government maintained that Nigeria’s security challenges are driven by terrorism and criminality affecting citizens of all faiths, and insisted that constitutional guarantees protect religious freedom for Muslims and Christians alike.
