Former President Donald Trump has been using the wrongful detention of Americans Evan Gershkovich and Paul Whelan in Russia to criticize President Joe Biden for failing to bring them home, especially during his reelection campaign.
And following Thursday’s historic prisoner swap that freed those men along with two other U.S. prisoners, the GOP presidential nominee continued to bash the administration with baseless speculation.
White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan confirmed on Thursday that there was no cash exchanged nor was there any sanctions relief, but in a Truth Social post on Thursday, Trump questioned that denial without offering specifics.
Republican presidential nominee, former President Donald Trump speaks at a rally on July 31, 2024 in Harrisburg, Pa.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images
“Are we also paying them cash? Are they giving us cash (Please withdraw that question, because I’m sure the answer is NO)?” he said.
Trump has repeatedly made false claims that the U.S. has given Iran billions of dollars in cash.
“Just curious because we never make good deals, at anything, but especially hostage swaps. Our ‘negotiators’ are always an embarrassment to us!” he added in his social media post.
The former president repeated the false allegations that cash was involved in the deal during an interview on the “Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Show.”
When asked by a reporter about Trump’s repeated claims he could’ve gotten the hostages out of Russia without concessions, Biden took a direct jab at his former political opponent.
“Why didn’t he do it when he was president?” Biden said.
Trump’s rhetoric over the detained Americans has been part of ongoing back and forth, dating back to his term in office, and at times sparked the ire of the hostages’ family members.
Even though members of Trump’s administration, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, criticized the espionage charges against Whelan after he was arrested in 2018, Trump did not mention Whelan’s name publicly while he was in office.
David Whelan, Paul Whelan’s brother, said in a statement Thursday that his family was “discouraged from speaking out about Paul’s case.”
“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 said.
During his trial, Paul Whelan, who had met with U.S. officials during his case, appealed directly to Trump for help.
“Mr. President, we cannot keep America great unless we aggressively protect and defend Americans wherever they are in the world,” he said in prepared remarks in June 2019.
Trump would only mention Whelan by name in a post on Truth Social condemning Biden for arranging a prisoner transfer that freed U.S. basketball player Brittney Griner from Russian custody in December 2022.
“Why wasn’t former Marine Paul Whelan included in this totally one-sided transaction? He would have been let out for the asking.” Trump said in his post.
The U.S. exchanged Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout for Griner as part of that swap. Following the swap, Trump claimed that he had been working on a deal for Whelan that involved Bout.
“I turned down a deal with Russia for a one-on-one swap of the so-called Merchant of Death for Paul Whelan. I wouldn’t have made the deal for a hundred people in exchange for someone that has killed untold numbers of people with his arms deals,” he said.
David Whelan took aim at the former president over his social media statements, in a post on X.
“Former President Trump appears to have mentioned my brother #PaulWhelan’s wrongful detention more in the last 24 hours than he did in the 2 years of his presidency in which Paul was held hostage by #Russia (zero). I don’t suggest he cares now any more than he did then (zero),” David Whelan said in the December 2022 post.
Trump did not comment on Gershkovich’s situation until an April 12, 2024 interview with Time Magazine, more than a year after his March 29, 2023 arrest.
“The reporter should be released and he will be released,” Trump said without referring to Gershkovich by name. “I don’t know if he’s going to be released under Biden.”
In a May Truth Social post, Trump claimed Gershkovich “will be released almost immediately after the Election, but definitely before I assume Office.”
“Vladimir Putin, President of Russia, will do that for me but not for anyone else,” he said in his post.
President Joe Biden (R) and Republican presidential candidate, former U.S. President Donald Trump participate in the Presidential Debate on June 27, 2024 in Atlanta.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images, FILE
Trump’s attacks against Biden over the hostages came up again during the June presidential debate. He again claimed he would get Gershkovich out if elected, contending that “Putin is laughing at [Biden], probably asking for billions of dollars for the reporter.”
“He should have had him out a long time ago. But Putin is probably asking for billions and billions of dollars because this guy pays it every time,” Trump said of Biden.
Trump did not directly name Gershkovich during the debate.