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Trump Frees Prisoners to Bargain Hostages

Trump's administration did make deals with terrorists. Their policy was to release prisoners in exchange for American hostages.

Published August 9, 2024 at 5:07am by

Donald Trump claims he didn't "give up anything" to secure the release of American hostages during his presidency, but is that true?

Statement: "In negotiating releases of Americans held abroad, '(I) gave the opposing country NOTHING — and never any cash.'"

On August 1, 2024, a historic prisoner swap took place involving the US, Russia, and other countries, which resulted in the release of three American citizens. This prompted former President Trump to question the terms of the deal and make the above statement on Truth Social.

What We Found

Multiple instances during the Trump administration show that the US government did, in fact, release prisoners in exchange for Americans held abroad:

Iran, 2019: The US secured the release of Xiyue Wang, a US citizen held since 2016, by agreeing to release Masoud Soleimani, an Iranian scientist arrested for violating American sanctions.
Iran, 2020: Michael White, a US Navy veteran, was released by Iran in exchange for the US agreeing to release Iranian-American doctor Matteo Taerri, who had violated US sanctions.
Yemen, 2020: Two Americans held captive by Houthi rebels, Sandra Loli and Mikael Gidada, were released. The US denied a link, but reports confirmed it was an exchange for over 200 Houthi militants.
North Korea, 2017: Otto Warmbier, a US student detained in North Korea, was returned in a coma and died days later. The US had agreed to pay $2 million for his hospital care, but a White House official claimed the money was never sent.

The Expert

"There is ALWAYS a quid pro quo in hostage diplomacy...It can be material, it can be a reciprocal release, or a political concession that is kept secret or is symbolic." - Anthony Wanis-St. John, American University associate professor

Our Ruling

While Trump didn't give cash for Americans' release, his statement ignores critical facts about the terms of these exchanges. Therefore, we rate this claim as Mostly False.

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