‘As Usual A Win for Putin’: Trump Ridicules Prisoner Swap that Led to Evan Gershkovich’s Return
Former President Donald Trump ridiculed the multi-national prisoner swap that led to the release of Evan Gershkovich, among others, as a “win for Putin.”
Gershkovich was part of a multi-national prisoner swap, which also saw the release of former US Marine Paul Whelan and Prague-based radio journalist Alsu Kurmasheva.
Trump sat with Fox Business anchor Maria Bartiromo on Thursday, and the segment aired Friday morning. In it, Trump was asked what he made of the prisoner swap that has earned bipartisan praise.
“Big news today,” Bartiromo noted. “Russia and the U.S., in an exchange. Prisoner swap. Largest East-West prisoner swap since the Cold War. What is your reaction, that Russia freed the Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gorski and others.”
“Well, as usual, it was a win for Putin or any other country that deals with us,” Trump replied, diminishing the good news that American citizens had returned to US soil to make a political attack on President Joe Biden. “But we got somebody back, so I’m never going to be challenging that.”
Trump continued:
It wouldn’t have happened with us. We would have gotten it back. We wouldn’t have had to pay anything. We wouldn’t have had to let some of the great killers of the world go, because that’s what’s happened, as you know. And the deal is very complex because it just came out. So nobody understands the deal yet. And they make it complex. So you can’t understand how bad the deal is for us. But we got him back and we could have had him back. We should have had him back a long time ago. It should have never happened. It would have never happened. He shouldn’t have been taken in the first place. And it would have never happened with us if I was president.
After Bartiromo pressed Trump on what else Russia may have received something more than just prisoners, Trump admitted he had no clue what the swap included and argued it was purposefully complex so as to keep him from understanding it. Trump said:
I have no idea what they did. I just know they announced it’s a very complex deal. That’s usually a way of saying we made a bad deal, and we made it complex so nobody understands it. So we have to find out was money involved. And we paid billions like last time. We paid $6 billion. In addition, everything else. So did we pay money? And I put something in truth today. It was very interesting. How much did we pay? Who are the people? How are they? Are they bad people? Are they killers? Who are the people? Now we’re finding out that the people that they’re getting back are serious. Very serious people. I want to be nice about it. They’re getting back serial killers.
In the hours that followed the stunning news of the multinational deal, Trump insulted the US negotiating team on social media:
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)? Are we releasing murderers, killers, or thugs? Just curious because we never make good deals, at anything, but especially hostage swaps. 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!
Watch above via Fox Business.
