MS NOW guest suggests Trump strike in Nigeria was racially motivated violence
Morgan State University professor Jason Johnson said Saturday that the U.S. strikes on terror targets in Nigeria were another opportunity for the Trump administration to "engage in violence in a Brown country in order to flex their power."
During an appearance on MS NOW's "The Weekend," Johnson told host Eugene Daniels the administration's logic behind the strikes doesn't make sense, questioning why President Donald Trump would care about African countries he once disparaged.
"Look, if the president of the United States suddenly decided that he cared about the very same countries that he called ‘s---hole’ countries five years ago — that the president of the United States sat there with a giant chess board with Nicki Minaj and was like, ‘Where should the Barbs go?’ OK, fine. Maybe this all makes sense, but it doesn’t," Johnson argued.
"We know that this is just another opportunity for this administration to engage in violence in a Brown country in order to flex their power."
WASHINGTON POST BACKS TRUMP'S STRIKES IN NIGERIA, SAYS HE'D 'BE WISE TO STAY ENGAGED'
Johnson referenced recent comments made by rapper Nicki Minaj at Turning Point USA's AmericaFest 2025 last week in which she advocated for ending the persecution of Christians in Nigeria.
Johnson also questioned whether "the numbers being spread by Republicans" about the number of Christians killed in the country are accurate.
"BBC did a whole investigation as to whether or not the numbers being spread by Republicans are even true. Has it been 100,000 people? Has it been 6,000 people? Are they conflating different kinds of numbers?" he asked.
The professor added that the terrorist organizations operating out of Nigeria "don’t care if you are a Christian or a Muslim or any other religion. They’re attacking everybody," suggesting Republicans are exaggerating the scope of attacks against Christians in the country.
TRUMP ADMIN TARGETS ANTI-CHRISTIAN VIOLENCE WITH NEW VISA CRACKDOWN POLICY FOLLOWING NIGERIA ATTACKS
Johnson said one "vaguely bright spot" was that the strikes were conducted jointly with the Nigerian government, rather than unilaterally, a distinction he argued had been lost in much of the coverage.
The White House did not immediately return Fox News Digital's request for comment.
On Thursday, Trump posted to Truth Social announcing that the U.S. military launched airstrikes in Northwest Nigeria on Christmas night targeting ISIS militants he accused of killing Christians, calling the operation decisive and warning further attacks would follow if the violence continues.
"Tonight, at my direction as Commander in Chief, the United States launched a powerful and deadly strike against ISIS Terrorist Scum in Northwest Nigeria, who have been targeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians, at levels not seen for many years, and even Centuries!" Trump wrote.
U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) confirmed the attacks in a post on X on Thursday night.
The move followed a surge of attacks on Christians and Christian institutions in Nigeria. Last month, gunmen stormed the Christ Apostolic Church in Eruku, Kwara State, killing two people and kidnapping dozens. The 38 abducted worshipers were freed nearly a week later.
Days later, armed attackers raided St. Mary’s School in Niger State, abducting more than 300 students and staff. School officials said 50 students aged 10 to 18 escaped in the following days, but 253 students and 12 teachers remain captive.
Fox News' Greg Wehner contributed to this report.