BREAKING: US Lobbying Firm Disputes Authenticity of Purported Trump Letter To Tinubu, Demands Original Document
A Washington-based lobbying firm, Von Batten-Montague-York, has questioned the authenticity of a purported letter from United States President Donald Trump to President Bola Tinubu, alleging that Nigerians are being misled over the document circulating on social media.
The firm urged the Nigerian presidency to release the original document rather than a typed transcript circulated on social media
It raised the concerns in a statement posted on its official X account on Wednesday after comparing what it described as an authentic letter sent by Trump to Argentine President Javier Milei with the version published by an account linked to President Tinubu.
According to the firm, the differences between the two documents were significant enough to warrant public scrutiny.
“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 firm stated.
The organisation stressed that it was not categorically alleging that no diplomatic correspondence existed between Trump and Tinubu but questioned why the Nigerian presidency had published only the text of the purported letter instead of an image of the signed original.
“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 said.
“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 post tagged several international media organisations and institutions, including The Washington Post, CNN Africa, BBC Africa, Reuters, AFP, Foreign Policy, Nigeria’s National Assembly and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The controversy centres on a letter attributed to President Trump and widely shared by the Tinubu presidency on Wednesday.
In the purported correspondence, Trump thanked Tinubu for what he described as a “thoughtful letter” and praised the Nigerian leader’s efforts to combat insecurity.
“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,” the letter reportedly read.
It further stated, “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.”
The purported letter also referred to a “US-Nigeria 2026 Defence Cooperation Roadmap” and claimed that the United States had deployed Special Operations Forces to assist Nigeria’s Armed Forces in combating terrorism.
“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,” the document reportedly stated.
However, Von Batten-Montague-York contrasted the publication with what it described as an authentic White House letter sent by Trump to Argentine President Javier Milei.
Unlike the Tinubu correspondence, the Milei letter was released as a scanned image on official White House stationery bearing Trump’s signature.
The January 16, 2026 letter invited Argentina to become a founding member of a proposed international body known as “The Board of Peace,” which Trump described as part of his broader initiative to resolve global conflicts and promote peace in the Middle East.
The lobbying firm argued that the existence of a publicly available signed letter to Milei highlighted what it described as the unusual manner in which the Tinubu correspondence was presented.
