An American lobbying firm, Von Batten-Montague-York, has questioned the authenticity of the purported letter from United States President Donald Trump to President Bola Tinubu, arguing that the document released by the Presidency raises serious concerns.
The firm made the remarks in a post on X after comparing what it described as an authentic letter sent by Trump to Argentine President Javier Milei with the version released by an account linked to President Tinubu, using the Facebook handle PBATMediaCentre.
According to the lobbyist, the format of the document circulated by the Nigerian Presidency differs significantly from the original style of correspondence normally issued by the US President.
It stressed that while it was not claiming that no diplomatic response was sent to Tinubu or directly accusing the Nigerian President of fabricating the letter, the manner in which it was released had raised questions.
It stated, “A Tale of Two Letters: On the left, we have an actual copy of President @realDonaldTrump’s letter to Argentine President @JMilei. On the right, we have what an account linked to President #Tinubu, using the Facebook handle @PBATMediaCentre, has posted as President Trump’s letter to President Tinubu. The difference is beyond clear.”
The lobby firm added, “We are not saying that a standard diplomatic response letter was never sent to President Tinubu. Nor are we saying that President Tinubu fabricated the purported letter. After all, Tinubu’s staff could easily create a fake letter tomorrow and post it as a rebuttal.”
It further argued that the decision to publish only the text of the letter instead of a scanned image of the original document had fuelled doubts about its authenticity.
“What we are saying is that it is unusual for a letter to be quoted in full, including the date and signature block, rather than simply publishing an image of the actual letter itself. Until the actual letter is released, whether real or fake, Nigerians must understand that Tinubu is trying to fool you,” the firm said.
The comments came a day after the Presidency released what it described as a letter from President Trump praising Tinubu’s leadership in the fight against terrorism and reaffirming security cooperation between Nigeria and the United States.
The letter, dated July 6, 2026, was made public on Wednesday by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
In the letter, Trump thanked Tinubu for his earlier correspondence and commended his administration’s efforts to combat insecurity, particularly attacks on Christian communities.
“Thank you for your thoughtful letter. Your kind words mean a great deal to me, and I appreciate your decisive leadership on behalf of the Nigerian people. I applaud your resolve to tackle the issues plaguing your nation, especially the violence affecting Christian communities and it is a true honor to stand with you in the fight against terrorists and to make the Federal Republic of Nigeria stronger and more prosperous,” Trump wrote.
The US President also described relations between Nigeria and the United States as crucial at a time when insecurity continued to affect West Africa and other parts of the world.
“The United States-Nigeria relationship is crucial at a time where conflict has spread across West Africa and around the world. We both share a mutual goal of confronting terrorism in all its forms, and our historic US-Nigeria 2026 Defence Cooperation Roadmap has established a robust framework to accomplish this feat,” he said.
Trump further disclosed that elite United States Special Operations Forces had been deployed to train Nigerian troops and strengthen their intelligence and operational capabilities.
“I am proud to have deployed the United States Special Operations Forces—among the most elite military units anywhere in the world—to equip the brave men and women in the Armed Forces of Nigeria with the skills, tools and intelligence they need to protect your homeland and ensure the safety and security of citizens, particularly those of faith who have been under attack. I look forward to our continued discussions over the course of my Presidency,” the letter added.
