Following a prisoner swap this week between the United States and Russia, former President Donald Trump’s message to Russian President Vladimir Putin at a campaign rally on Saturday has drawn criticism on social media.
On Thursday, President Joe Biden announced that his administration had secured the release of three Americans and a U.S. resident, Vladimir Kara-Murza, in a prisoner swap with Moscow. The United States and some of its allies have agreed to exchange eight Russian detainees in exchange for the wall street journal Journalist Evan Gershkovich, former US Marine Paul Whelan and Russian-American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva, as well as a number of Russian dissidents held in Russian prisons. Several German nationals were also released as part of the deal.
In return, Russia took in several Russian nationals who were convicted of crimes including espionage, fraud and involvement in the shooting death of a Georgian commander, according to the Associated Press.
“I will not stop working until every American wrongfully detained or held hostage around the world is reunited with their families. My administration has now brought home more than 70 of these Americans, many of whom have been in captivity since before I took office,” Biden wrote in a statement released Thursday.
On Saturday, Trump attended a campaign rally at the Georgia State University Convocation Center in Atlanta. During the rally, Trump, the 2024 Republican presidential nominee, discussed the prisoner swap while praising the Russian leader.
“By the way, I want to congratulate Vladimir Putin on making another great deal. Have you seen the deal we made?” Trump asked.
Newsweek reached out to the White House and the Trump campaign via email for comment.
CHRISTIAN MONTERROSA / AFP/Getty Images
Since Trump’s remarks, some users have taken to X, formerly Twitter, to criticize the former president for his message to Putin.
The account X Kamala’s Wins, an online community supporting Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 election, wrote: “In a horrible moment, Donald Trump congratulates Vladimir Putin. Trump has long sided with Russia and Putin, but praising him at a campaign rally is as un-American and disgusting as it gets. Retweet so all Americans can see this.”
BREAKING: In a horrifying moment, Donald Trump congratulates Vladimir Putin. Trump has long sided with Russia and Putin, but praising him at a campaign rally is as un-American and disgusting as it gets. Retweet so all Americans can see this.pic.twitter.com/ZQdKTZKvAh
— Kamala Wins (@harris_wins) August 4, 2024
It comes as Trump was set to face Biden in this year’s election, but is now set to face Harris, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, as Biden withdrew from the race on July 21 and endorsed his vice president.
Meanwhile, as president, Trump’s alleged ties to Putin were under intense scrutiny. He had previously praised Putin as “smart” and boasted about his good relationship with the Russian leader, even saying, without providing details, that he could end the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, which Putin started in February 2022, in “24 hours” if reelected.
Account X “Republicans Against Trump” wrote: “I like a president who doesn’t congratulate Vladimir Putin.”
User Michigan GOP Watch took aim at Trump, writing: “Paul Whelan was held hostage for 5 years and he congratulates Putin. Trump is a traitor.”
Another X user, Joshua Reed Eakle, wrote: “Not Americans. Not Biden. Not Americans held as political prisoners. Vladimir Putin. What a disgusting, un-American human being.”
🇷🇺 Trump tonight on prisoner exchange:
“I would like to congratulate Putin on reaching another excellent agreement.”
It’s not the Americans, it’s not Biden, it’s not the Americans being held as political prisoners.
Vladimir Poutine.
What a disgusting, un-American human being.pic.twitter.com/7U0SYrLscK
— Joshua Reed Eakle 🗽 (@JoshEakle) August 3, 2024
Trump has previously criticized Biden’s handling of prisoner swaps, accusing him of trading potentially dangerous Russian nationals for U.S. citizens held hostage. The former president has called Biden’s deals “one-sided” and suggested he could secure releases without concessions.
However, Trump has also conducted prisoner swaps as president. In November 2019, he traded three Taliban leaders for two Americans, Kevin King and Timothy Weeks. The following year, the United States returned an Iranian scientist days before Iran released Marine Michael White, though officials denied it was a prisoner swap.
Trump has claimed to have secured the release of 58 hostages while he was president. The Trump White House online archives, meanwhile, wrote that Trump had released 56 hostages “from more than 24 countries.”
According to the White House, Biden has now secured the release of more than 70 Americans in various hostage releases around the world.
