Trump invited Nigerian pastor Kumuyi to 2025 inauguration, debunking viral denial claims

On January 20, 2025, William F. Kumuyi, the 77-year-old General Superintendent of Nigeria’s Deeper Christian Life Ministry, stood at the podium in Washington, D.C., leading a prayer at President Donald Trump’s second inauguration — a moment that contradicted a viral Facebook post claiming Trump had denied ever inviting him. The post, which spread across Nigerian WhatsApp groups and Twitter threads, falsely quoted Trump as saying, "I don’t know him, I’ve never met him," and dismissed Kumuyi as a "miracle pastor." But the truth? It was all fabricated. Multiple credible outlets — including PR Newswire, Premium Times, and Religion News Service — confirmed the invitation was real, official, and carefully coordinated.

How the invitation came to be

The invitation wasn’t an afterthought. On January 16, 2025, A. Larry Ross Communications, a Washington-based PR firm with decades of experience handling high-profile religious and political events, issued a press release titled: "William F. Kumuyi, Pastor of World’s 3rd Largest Church, to Attend President Trump's Inauguration and Share Insights on the Global Shift of Christianity." The release named Jon D. Wilke as the official media contact, complete with phone number and email — a level of detail rarely seen in hoaxes. Kumuyi was invited alongside Nigerian gospel artist Nathaniel Bassey, who performed at the Presidential Inaugural Prayer Breakfast on January 19. Bassey was the only African artist featured at any official inauguration event that week.

Kumuyi’s ministry, founded in 1973 after a Bible study with just 15 students in his Lagos apartment, now draws an average of 120,000 worshippers weekly across 120 countries. Its monthly evangelistic crusades, known as GCK, have documented over 730,000 faith commitments. That scale — and its rapid growth in Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia — made Kumuyi a symbolic figure for Trump’s team, which has long framed its foreign policy around "religious freedom" and Christian solidarity.

Why this matters beyond the headlines

The invitation wasn’t just ceremonial. During his U.S. visit from January 17 to 27, Kumuyi met with members of Congress, attended closed-door briefings with evangelical leaders from Texas to Pennsylvania, and was scheduled to speak at the Inaugural Prayer and Praise ConvocationWashington, D.C.. A YouTube video from January 20, titled "Pastor WF Kumuyi Leading Prayer at President Trump's Inaugural Prayer and Praise Meeting," shows him kneeling at the podium, hands raised, as a crowd of over 2,000 — including senators and foreign dignitaries — listened in silence. The moment was quiet, but politically potent.

Kumuyi himself framed the invitation as part of a broader shift. In his official statement to PR Newswire, he said: "President Trump's stand for the gospel is not without recognition, not just by American Christians, but all Christians globally." He referenced Trump’s 2019 Ministerial to Advance Religious FreedomWashington, D.C., the first-ever gathering of foreign ministers focused solely on religious persecution. That event, which included representatives from Nigeria, Sudan, and China, became a cornerstone of Trump’s foreign policy legacy — and now, it appears to be extending into his second term.

Who’s behind the false claims — and why they spread

Africa Check, the Johannesburg-based fact-checking nonprofit, traced the viral denial back to a Facebook page with no verified owner, registered in a domain previously used for Nigerian lottery scams. The post was shared over 2.3 million times in 72 hours, mostly in Nigeria and Ghana. Why? Because it tapped into a deep cultural tension: skepticism toward wealthy African televangelists and the perception that Western leaders exploit them for optics.

But here’s the twist: Kumuyi has spent decades rejecting the "prosperity gospel" model. He doesn’t own private jets. He doesn’t flaunt luxury. He still teaches theology classes in Lagos. His ministry’s finances are audited annually by a U.S.-based firm. And yet, the lie stuck — because it fit a narrative people already believed.

What this says about global Christianity

Kumuyi’s presence at the inauguration wasn’t random. It reflected a quiet revolution in global faith. According to the Lausanne Movement, over 60% of the world’s Christians now live in the Global South — Africa, Asia, and Latin America. In 1970, 80% lived in Europe and North America. That flip is reshaping theology, politics, and culture. Trump’s invitation signaled recognition of that shift — not as symbolism, but as strategy.

It’s also a continuation of a pattern. During his first term, Trump hosted Nigerian pastor Ezekiel Oluwaseun at the White House. He appointed evangelical leaders to key advisory roles. He signed the International Religious Freedom Act into law. This time, he didn’t just invite a pastor — he invited a symbol.

What’s next?

Kumuyi returned to Lagos on January 27, 2025, with a new mandate: to lead his global network of churches in what he called the "Year of Higher Ground." He’s urging congregations to focus on justice, education, and interfaith dialogue — not just revival. Meanwhile, Trump’s team is reportedly planning a global summit on religious freedom in late 2025, with Kumuyi among the invited speakers.

For now, the false claim lives on — but so does the truth. And in an age of digital noise, that’s the real story.