Former President Donald Trump has launched a series of attacks against President Joe Biden following the historic prisoner exchange that freed Americans Evan Gershkovich and Paul Whelan from Russian custody. The exchange, which also secured the release of other U.S. prisoners, has become a focal point for Trump's criticism during his reelection campaign.
Despite White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan's confirmation that no cash or sanctions relief was part of the deal, Trump questioned the veracity of this claim on his social media platform, Truth Social. "Are we also paying them cash? Are they giving us cash (Please withdraw that question, because I'm sure the answer is NO)?" Trump speculated, continuing to assert that the U.S. consistently fails to secure favorable deals in hostage negotiations.
Trump's criticism extended to a radio interview on the "Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Show," where he reiterated his doubts about the deal's terms. When asked about Trump's claims that he could have secured the hostages' release without concessions, Biden responded pointedly, "Why didn't he do it when he was president?"
The rhetoric surrounding the detained Americans has been a recurring theme in Trump's political discourse, often drawing ire from the hostages' family members. David Whelan, Paul Whelan's brother, reflected on the challenges they faced during Trump's administration. "Those first years were hard when the Trump Administration ignored Paul's wrongful detention, and it was media attention that helped to finally create critical mass and awareness within the U.S. government," he stated.
Paul Whelan, who had met with U.S. officials during his trial, had directly appealed to Trump for assistance. "Mr. President, we cannot keep America great unless we aggressively protect and defend Americans wherever they are in the world," Whelan remarked in June 2019. Despite these appeals, Trump only mentioned Whelan by name once during his presidency, in a social media post criticizing Biden for the December 2022 prisoner exchange that freed U.S. basketball player Brittney Griner.
Following the latest prisoner swap, Trump claimed that he had been working on a deal for Whelan involving Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, which he ultimately rejected. David Whelan rebuffed Trump's assertions, stating, "Former President Trump appears to have mentioned my brother Paul Whelan's wrongful detention more in the last 24 hours than he did in the two years of his presidency in which Paul was held hostage by Russia (zero)."
Trump's silence on Gershkovich's detention persisted until an interview with Time Magazine in April 2024, more than a year after Gershkovich's arrest. In the interview, Trump expressed optimism about the reporter's release, albeit without referring to him by name. In a subsequent social media post, Trump claimed Gershkovich would be released shortly after the election, attributing this hypothetical outcome to his relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Senator JD Vance, Trump's 2024 running mate, suggested that the fear of a second Trump administration motivated Russia to agree to the prisoner swap. "Bad guys all over the world recognize Donald Trump's about to be back in office, so they're cleaning house," Vance told CNN, calling the exchange "great news."
The prisoner swap, involving seven countries, was the largest such exchange between the U.S. and Russia since the Cold War. President Biden confirmed the release of Gershkovich and Whelan, alongside other notable prisoners, including Alsu Kurmasheva, a dual U.S.-Russian citizen and journalist, and Vladimir Kara-Murza, a prominent Russian opposition politician.
When questioned about Trump's assertions that he would have secured the hostages' release without concessions, Biden retorted, "Why didn't he do it when he was president?"
