President Joe Biden engaged in a heated exchange with reporters following the announcement of a prisoner swap deal with Russia on Thursday. Biden appeared visibly frustrated and disoriented as he attempted to shift blame onto his predecessor, Donald Trump, for failing to rescue hostages taken during his own administration. Despite inserting a partisan jab at Trump during the announcement, Biden faced further scrutiny when a reporter pointed out Trump’s claims that he could have secured the hostages’ release without any concessions.
“Why didn’t he do it when he was president?” Biden snapped.
The Republican National Committee promptly highlighted that Russia captured two of the three American hostages released as part of the agreement announced by Biden on Thursday, following his assumption of office.
REPORTER: "President Trump has said repeatedly that he could've gotten the hostages out without giving anything in exchange…"
BIDEN: "Why didn't he do it when he was president?"
(Two of the three Americans were wrongfully detained during Biden's presidency) pic.twitter.com/jGDPtM3Pya
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) August 1, 2024
During his remarks on Thursday, President Biden exhibited moments of apparent frustration towards critics who accused him of orchestrating an imbalanced agreement to secure the release of prisoners. The three Americans, along with one U.S. green card holder, were unjustly imprisoned on fabricated charges by Russia, whereas the individuals released by Russia in the exchange were serious offenders, having been convicted through legitimate judicial processes, including an assassin responsible for a politically motivated murder on German territory.
