David Joshua Oliver
Fact Check: Did Donald Trump Congratulate Isa Tchiroma Bakary for Winning Cameroon’s October 2025 Election?
A viral post claims: “USA President Donald Trump congratulates Isa Tchiroma Bakary for winning the October 12 election in Cameroon.” The post includes a screenshot of a message allegedly from Trump, congratulating Bakary as “President‑Elect of the Republic of Cameroon.”
However, after thorough verification, the Sele Media Africa Fact-Checkers Team has found this claim to be false and misleading.
What we found
• Reuters confirms that vote counting was ongoing after the October 12 presidential election, with Paul Biya, 92, expected to extend his rule.
• Al Jazeera also reports that the election process is still underway, and there has been no official declaration of a winner.
• The official website of the Presidency of Cameroon (PRC.cm) does include congratulatory messages from Donald Trump, but all are addressed to Paul Biya and dated between 2018 and 2020. There is no message from Trump to Isa Tchiroma Bakary in 2025.
Why the viral claim is false
1. No official record: No statement from the U.S. government or Trump’s official channels confirms this congratulation to Bakary.
2. Timing issue:
At the time of the alleged post, no official winner had been announced. Diplomatic congratulatory messages are typically issued after certified results.
3. Media silence:
No international media outlet (Reuters, AP, Al Jazeera, etc.) has reported any such congratulatory message from Trump to Bakary.
4. Fake post formatting:
The structure and tone of the viral message do not match official diplomatic style, and the image shown is unverifiable.
Conclusion
The Sele Media Africa Fact-Checkers Team concludes that there is no credible evidence to support the claim that Donald Trump congratulated Isa Tchiroma Bakary for winning Cameroon’s 2025 presidential election. The image and message appear to be fabricated.
We encourage readers to remain vigilant and verify information using trusted and official sources before sharing.
Sources used in this verification:
• Reuters: Cameroon holds presidential election…
• Al Jazeera: Cameroon votes as Biya seeks 8th term…
• AP News: World’s oldest president could extend rule…
• Presidency of Cameroon (PRC.cm): Official statements archive
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Marian Opeyemi Fasesan
