“Trump Is A Petty-Minded Dictator” – Soyinka Says After U.S Revoked His Visa

Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka has labeled US President Donald Trump a “petty-minded dictator,” criticizing how his administration treated minorities and the rise in extrajudicial killings during his tenure.

This comes weeks after the US government revoked Wole Soyinka’s non-immigrant visa following his visa application, which came after he received a letter from the US IRS regarding a tax return audit.

During an interview with the BBC, the Nobel laureate reflected on his earlier warnings about Trump’s presidency, stressing that he had predicted that the US president would target immigrants and minority groups, fueled by his hate-filled rhetoric.

“I said, ‘When that man comes to power, the first thing he will do is cancel even the green cards,” Soyinka said.

“This is a petty-minded dictator; you see how he deals with his objects of hate. We saw that dark side of the American side.

“There were more killings — extrajudicial killings — by the police of black people, of minorities, during the campaign, and on account of hate rhetoric, the hate rhetoric of this individual.”

The 91-year-old playwright also spoke about how he voluntarily destroyed his U.S green card after Trump’s election in 2016, explaining that he preferred to leave on his own terms rather than face possible deportation or visa cancellation.

“I said I’m not going to wait to be told to come for a reinterview or simply told, ‘Get out! The green card is cancelled!’ That’s all,” Soyinka said.

“People failed to understand. Even though I said it, people failed to accept it. I said I don’t like to be kicked out; I like to kick myself out, it’s more dignified.”

Soyinka revealed that after Trump’s re-election in November 2024, he received a letter from the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS) informing him that his tax returns for the past five years would be audited.

He said, “After he took office, I got a letter from the IRS telling me to report for an audit. The coincidence for me was very impressive.

“Unfortunately, or fortunately, whichever way you want to look at it, not long after that, maybe by accident or maybe it’s related or not, I got a letter from the Internal Revenue Service of the United States of America saying that an audit of my tax return was about to take place, going back about five years.

“So I went to the embassy to say this is the letter I just received from the Internal Revenue Service. My Green Card is no longer usable. I don’t want to be advertised as a tax dodger owing the United States money and being chased all over the world with letters and police, and I said I needed to go in and see the audit, and that’s exactly what happened.”

KanyiDaily recalls that Wole Soyinka recently revealed that he was abducted and robbed in Bucharest, Romania, while attending the Sibiu International Theatre Festival as a guest of honour.