Nicki Minaj invited by Trump official for visit after praising president’s claim about Christians in Nigeria

Despite claims made by Trump, Nigeria said Christians are not being persecuted in their country. In fact, the data also disputes it.

The Trump administration extended an invitation to Nicki Minaj after the rapper praised President Donald Trump for defending against the so-called persecution of Christians in Nigeria.

As theGrio previously reported, the 42-year-old hip-hop star expressed her “gratitude” for Trump‘s claims about Christians facing an “existential threat” and that “thousands” have allegedly been killed based on their religion.

Following adulation from Minaj, real name Onika Maraj, Mike Waltz, Trump’s U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and former national security advisor, invited the star to visit his office at the U.S. embassy in New York City to further discuss the topic.

“@NICKIMINAJ, thank you for using your platform to speak out in defense of the Christians being persecuted in Nigeria. We cannot allow this to continue. Every brother and sister of Christ must band together and say, ‘Enough!'” Waltz wrote on X in response to Minaj’s previous post.

He added, “If you ever find yourself in New York, come by the US Embassy to the United Nations. I would love to speak with you in more depth about what our administration is doing to protect Christians’ freedoms all over the world.”

Despite claims made by Trump, however, Nigeria has rejected the suggestion that Christians are being persecuted and killed by the thousands in the African country. In fact, the data disputes those claims.

The Associated Press reports that both Christians and Muslims are among those targeted in Nigeria, where there are violent clashes among various groups, both religious and ethnic, and even between farmers and herders over “dwindling resources.” In fact, experts say the majority of victims are Muslims in Nigeria’s Muslim-majority north, where most attacks occur.

“There is no systematic, intentional attempt either by the Nigerian government or by any serious group to target a particular religion,” Information Minister Idris Muhammed told AP.

A spokesperson for Nigerian President Bola Tinubu said Trump and other Republicans relied on “old reports from more than a decade ago when Nigeria’s home-grown Boko Haram Islamic group launched an insurgency to enforce their brutal interpretation of Shariah law.”

Minaj received online blowback for her praise of Trump over the weekend, and fired back at critics in a post that was later deleted.

“Imagine hearing that Christians are being persecuted & not being able to have empathy for THEM b/c you are blinded by your own personal obsession with Trump,” wrote Minaj. “This says more about you than him, my darling.”