Former President Donald Trump unleashed a torrent of rage after President Joe Biden announced a deal had been done with Russia — and American prisoners were on their way home.
Trump did not mention in his Truth Social statement Thursday the names of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, former U.S. Marine Paul Whalen or any of the other Americans whose freedom Biden apparently secured just an hour before he announced he would no longer be seeking reelection.
Instead, Trump suggested the U.S. should have demanded cash.
"So when are they going to release the details of the prisoner swap with Russia? How many people do we get versus them? Are we also paying them cash? Are they giving us cash (Please withdraw that question, because I’m sure the answer is NO)?" Trump wrote. "Are we releasing murderers, killers, or thugs?"
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As Trump faced mounting criticism among his own party members for multiple racial attacks against his new election opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, Biden took a victory lap and received widespread praise for his political prowess.
Trump meanwhile called U.S. negotiators an embarrassment and boasted of his own skills.
"We never make good deals, at anything, but especially hostage swaps," wrote Trump. "Our 'negotiators' are always an embarrassment to us!
"I got back many hostages, and gave the opposing Country NOTHING – and never any cash. To do so is bad precedent for the future. That’s the way it should be, or this situation will get worse and worse. They are extorting the United States of America. They’re calling the trade “complex” – That’s so nobody can figure out how bad it is!"
Biden's social media posts Thursday included a snapshot from the Oval Office, where the prisoners' families were invited to call the loved ones whose freedom he secured, and praise for their courage.
"Today, I stood beside the families of Paul, Evan, Alsu, and Vladimir in the Oval Office as they spoke to their loved ones for the first time since they regained freedom," Biden wrote.
"These families never lost hope. And today, they'll each be reunited with the missing piece of their soul."
