On June 1, President Donald Trump issued a statement to commemorate Global Coptic Day. Among other things, he said:
“Today, I join the Coptic Orthodox Christian community in observing Global Coptic Day… Tracing its roots to Saint Mark, the apostle of Jesus Christ and the evangelist who brought the Christian faith to Egypt in the first century, the Coptic Church has been a beacon of Christendom in Africa for nearly 2,000 years. The Coptic community has left an indelible mark on the hearts of millions of Christians — most evidently seen in their timeless contributions to Christian theology and culture. This Global Coptic Day, we also pause to reflect upon the vicious and ongoing persecution of Coptic Orthodox Christians in Africa and across the Middle East. In 2015, 21 Coptic construction workers were brutally executed by ISIS terrorists in Libya. Like persecuted Christians all around the world, these heroic martyrs refused to renounce their faith. They exemplified sacrificial love and steadfast devotion to God, even in the face of certain death. The Copts’ persistence amid relentless persecution is a living testament to their unbreakable resolve and fearless dedication to spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”
Trump’s statement is obviously powerful, but it’s more than that — it is rare. Unlike his predecessors, Trump has consistently acknowledged the brutal and ongoing persecution of Christians in the Muslim world, especially in Egypt, where Copts have long endured systemic violence, discrimination, and neglect.
And that persecution continues till this day. One week after Trump’s statement, the Virgin Mary Church in Luxor, Egypt, became the latest to go up in flames. So-called “accidental” church fires have become disturbingly commonplace in Egypt, with authorities reflexively ruling out arson often before an investigation even begins.
But Wait … There’s Worse
Even more disturbing are the routine disappearances of Coptic women and girls. The latest high-profile case is that of Mariam Medhat Ramzy, who vanished on May 25. Abductions like hers are as common as they are rarely investigated seriously, if at all.
Add to this the frequent collective punishments inflicted on Christian communities when one of their members is perceived as overstepping their “place.” Just last week, in Minya, mobs of Muslims rioted, shouting “Allahu Akbar” while torching dozens of Christian homes. The spark? A Copt had the temerity to install a mobile booster on his own roof.
In this context, Trump’s words matter. They stand in stark contrast to the studied silence — or worse, moral equivalence — of his predecessors, Barack Obama and Joe Biden. Trump is, without question, the only U.S. president in modern history to directly and repeatedly confront the persecution of Christians in the Muslim world.
Nor is this a new position for Trump. During his first term, he addressed the issue bluntly. In 2020, he remarked on the “ongoing challenges facing the largest Christian group [Copts] in the Middle East,” emphasizing the need to “acknowledge the importance of religious freedom” and to “reaffirm our commitment to promoting and defending this core tenet of a free society.”
That year, he also called the treatment of Christians in the region “beyond disgraceful,” saying Christianity was being “treated horribly and very unfairly — it’s criminal.”
Perhaps most memorably, following the 2017 massacre of 28 Copts — including 10 children — by Islamic gunmen in Egypt, Trump stated:
“This merciless slaughter of Christians in Egypt tears at our hearts and grieves our souls… America makes clear to its friends, allies, and partners that the treasured and historic Christian communities of the Middle East must be defended and protected. The bloodletting of Christians must end, and all who aid their killers must be punished.”
Words Matter
Some may argue that Trump’s words are just that — words. But words matter. And if you doubt that, consider how different the words of his predecessors have been.
When the Egyptian military ran over and gunned down dozens of peaceful Coptic protesters during the Maspero Massacre in 2011 — the worst state-sanctioned attack on Christians in modern Egyptian history —Obama issued what his administration called a “pointedly even-handed statement,” urging both sides, Christians and the military, to “show restraint.”
Yes, you read that right. Christians — mown down by tanks and bullets for daring to protest the burning of their churches — were told to “show restraint.”
This kind of moral equivalence was a hallmark of the Obama administration. In his ideological framework, Christians are always the “oppressors” and non-Christians the “oppressed,” regardless of the facts. That’s why, when Muslim extremists bombed three churches in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday in 2019, killing nearly 300 Christians, both Obama and Hillary Clinton issued statements lamenting an attack on “Easter worshippers.” Not Christians — “Easter worshippers.”
They could not bring themselves to name the victims, because doing so would disrupt the narrative.
Not only did Obama fail to acknowledge (much less do anything about) the Muslim persecution of Christians, he aided and abetted it (see numerous old articles and documented reports I wrote, starting back in 2012, here, here, here, here). In other words, there’s a reason that Trump has repeatedly said, “President Obama is the founder of ISIS.”
The Nigerian Problem
But it is perhaps in the context of Nigeria, where a bonafide genocide of Christians has been taking place since Obama first entered the White House, that the differences between him and Biden, on the one hand, and Trump on the other emerge most clearly. Keep in mind that, on average, a Nigerian Christian is killed for his religion every two hours.
Despite this, the Obama administration refused for years to designate Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC), despite the ongoing slaughter of Christians there by Boko Haram and other jihadist groups. Hillary Clinton’s State Department even resisted labeling Boko Haram a terrorist organization — despite its record of murdering Christians and bombing churches at a scale exceeding that of ISIS.
Not until Trump came to power in 2020 was Nigeria finally designated a CPC. And unlike his predecessors, Trump didn’t mince words. During a meeting with Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari — a man many Nigerians say Obama helped install — Trump asked him directly: “Why are you killing Christians?”
Contrast that with the Biden administration. In 2021, under Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Nigeria was quietly removed from the CPC list. Human rights observers were appalled. As attorney Sean Nelson said at the time:
“No explanations have been given that could justify this decision. If anything, the situation in Nigeria has grown worse over the last year. Thousands of Christians are targeted, killed, and kidnapped, and the government is simply unwilling to stop these atrocities… Removing CPC status for Nigeria will only embolden the increasingly authoritarian government there.”
In short, at a time when truth is suffocating under the weight of politics and propaganda, Trump’s words about persecuted Christians matter. They are a rare acknowledgment of reality — and a crucial first step toward change.
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