In today’s turbulent political landscape, certain figures offer themselves as bulwarks, as defenders of a way of life. Among the loudest are Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump, who have each, in their own contexts, cultivated a vocal base of Christian support. They posture as warriors for Christian values, as allies in a global culture war. But to stand with these men is to be tragically misled—to be, as the saying goes, “barking up the wrong tree.” A closer examination reveals a profound chasm between their actions and the teachings they claim to champion.
The core tenets of Christ’s ministry—humility, compassion, mercy, and a radical love for the marginalized—are entirely absent from their personal and political projects. There is no iota of humanity in policies that celebrate cruelty or in rhetoric that dehumanizes the vulnerable. Instead, we witness a politics of supremacy, one deeply entangled with notions of ethnic and religious dominance. Their worldview is predicated on a hierarchy of human value, where their perceived “whiteness” and political in-groups are positioned above others.
This supremacist logic fuels their most destructive tendencies. They have consistently framed Muslims and Islam not as a diverse faith community of billions, but as a monolithic “existential threat.” This is not a theological critique; it is a political weaponization of bigotry. By casting an entire global religion as a boogeyman, they justify endless aggression, illegal settlements, punitive policies, and catastrophic wars. The devastating human cost in Gaza and the rampant Islamophobia stoked domestically are not side effects but intended outcomes of a strategy that requires a perpetual enemy.
The charge of genocide is grave and must be used with precision. In the case of Netanyahu’s government, the actions in Gaza—the staggering civilian death toll, the wholesale destruction, the statements of intent from ministers—have led the International Court of Justice to recognize a “plausible” case of genocide, an investigation the Israeli leader vehemently rejects. For Trump, his language mirrors genocidal rhetoric, from promising a “Muslim Ban” to praising leaders who commit atrocities, envisioning a world where might makes right and the “other” is eradicated. Their moral vision is one of exclusion and annihilation, not coexistence or justice.
Finally, their personal corruption is so blatant it almost obscures the deeper rot. Netanyahu clings to power through coalition deals with extremists while battling serious criminal charges for fraud and bribery. Trump’s career is a litany of documented fraud, ethical abuses, and contempt for the rule of law. They are not flawed men striving for good; they are individuals whose only consistent principle is the accumulation and retention of personal power. They have no redeeming personal characteristics because their project is not about building a society—it is about dominating it.
To my fellow Christians, and to all people of conscience: the test of our faith and our humanity lies in whom we choose to align with. These men are not simply imperfect vessels. They are the antithesis of the values they claim to uphold. They offer not protection, but poison; not security, but sin. Supporting them is not a savvy political choice—it is a profound spiritual and ethical failure.
History’s judgment is already being written. It will remember the victims, the silenced, and those who stood against the tide of hatred. It will also remember the enablers, those who cheered for strongmen while the foundations of compassion crumbled. Do not be on that wrong side of history. The true warriors for a just world are not found in palaces or rallies; they are in the streets demanding peace, at the borders offering aid, and in the quiet steadfast refusal to call evil good. That is the side that truly stands by you.
Centre for Nigeria Progress 