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By Andrew Stanton
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Ohio Senator JD Vance said President Joe Biden's prisoner swap that secured the release of several Americans held hostage in Russia, including Evan Gershkovich and Paul Whelan, is a "testament" to former President Donald Trump's strength.
"I think it's great news, at least what little we know," Vance, Trump's running mate in the 2024 presidential race, told CNN on Thursday. "We certainly want these Americans to come back home. It was ridiculous they were in prison, to begin with."
He continued, "But we have to ask ourselves, why are they coming home? And I think it's because bad guys all over the world recognize Donald Trump's about to be back in office, so they're cleaning house. That's a good thing, and I think it's a testament to Donald Trump's strength."
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Newsweek reached out to the Trump campaign for comment via email.
The Context
The White House announced on Thursday that Paul Whelan, Evan Gershkovich, Alsu Kurmasheva, and Vladimir Kara-Murza will be returning home after being imprisoned in Russia.
Several German nationals were also released as part of the deal, which saw Western countries release Russians convicted of crimes including espionage, fraud and alleged involvement in the shooting death of a Georgian commander, according to the Associated Press.
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What We Know
The White House announced the deal in a statement, touting their release as a "feat of democracy."
"All told, we've negotiated the release of 16 people from Russia—including five Germans and seven Russian citizens who were political prisoners in their own country. Some of these women and men have been unjustly held for years. All have endured unimaginable suffering and uncertainty. Today, their agony is over," Biden said in the statement.
Both Biden and Trump secured the release of dozens of hostages throughout their presidential tenures.
Vance's comments come as the Trump campaign has lost ground in polls against Vice President Kamala Harris, the presumptive Democratic nominee. Recent surveys show a close race but indicate that Harris has closed the gap compared to where Biden was before he dropped out of the race.
The swap follows years of negotiations between the U.S., Russia and allies including Turkey, where the exchange took place, the AP reported.
Views
Vance's comment sparked pushback from author Jonah Goldberg, who described it as "very stupid" on CNN.
"I think this is speculation, but one of the criminology things literally is that it now looks like Trump could actually lose. So Putin is going to take the chips off the board he can now. And already on Russian television, they're now talking about what does it mean that Trump might actually lose," Goldberg said.
Trump responded to the news of the prisoner swap on Truth Social, writing, "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."
Harris welcomed the news on X, formerly Twitter.
"Today, we celebrate the release of Paul, Evan, Alsu, Vladimir, and others who were unjustly held in Russia. It gives me great comfort to know that their horrible ordeal is over and that they will soon be reunited with their families. @POTUS and I will not stop working until every American who is wrongfully detained or held hostage is brought home," the vice president wrote.
What's Next
The prisoners are set to return to Washington, D.C., where they will meet with Biden and Harris, Reuters reported**.**
Update 8/1/24, 1:40 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
Update 8/1/24, 2:02 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
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