Trump shares update that Christian missionary has been reunited with wife after release from Niger

President Donald Trump shared an update Friday on Christian missionary Kevin Rideout, who was released by Islamic militants last week, revealing that he has officially been reunited with his wife. 

The update was from Deputy Assistant to the President Sebastian Gorka, who shared photos from the reunion. Rideout was kidnapped in Niger in October of 2025.

“Kevin Rideout, the Christian Missionary taken by ISIS, was reunited with his wife," Trump shared on Truth Social. "He sounds incredibly good and wouldn’t stop saying how grateful he is to President Trump. He even shared that he kept singing in his head the song ‘Proud to be an American!' when he knew he would be coming home.”

Trump secured Rideout's release last week and he was finally transferred back to United States custody for the first time in months. 

No group ever officially claimed responsibility for Rideout's capture, but the country is under the control of myriad jihadist military groups.

Niger is one of several nations in the Sahel region that have, in recent years, either succumbed to internal coups or power shifts that saw their governments demand the departure of French and American troops, which conducted counterterrorism operations in the region.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.