Trump blasts Biden’s decision on Whelan, Gershkovich exchange: ‘Our negotiators are embarrassment…’

Although the swap is celebrated as the largest multi-country exchange since the Cold War, Trump has accused Biden of mishandling the high-stakes negotiation and failing to bring Americans home. He also called for more details about the prisoner exchange and highlighted what he sees as failures in the current administration’s diplomatic strategy.

Donald Trump lashes out on Biden over ‘cash exchange’

Following the release of Gershkovich and Whelan, White House officials announced that the deal did not involve any cash exchange. However, this statement did not appease the GOP nominee, who took to Truth Social to challenge the denial with baseless claims.

“Are we also paying them cash? Are they giving us cash (Please withdraw that question, because I’m sure the answer is NO)?” Trump wrote. Slamming the ‘negotiators’ as an embarrassment he continued, “Just curious because we never make good deals, at anything, but especially hostage swaps,” “So when are they going to release the details of the prisoner swap with Russia?”

Also read: Trump’s ‘nasty’ clash with reporter Rachel Scott on Black job ‘may cost him the election’, feel netizens

Reportedly Gershkovich and Whelan are among 24 prisoners from the US, Germany, Poland, Slovenia, Russia, and Belarus who will be released as part of a prisoner exchange managed by Turkish intelligence.

Taking his opinion to “Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Show,” the Republican candidate repeated his claims that cash was part of the deal. This isn’t the first instance of such accusations; he has previously repeatedly asserted that the U.S. has given Iran billions of dollars in cash.

Joe Biden responds

According to ABC News, President Joe Biden was briefly questioned by a reporter about Trump’s claim regarding cash flow and the suggestion that he could have secured the hostages’ release from Russia without making concessions. In response, Biden did not hold back and took a jab at his opponent, retorting, “Why didn’t he do it when he was president?”

Also read: JD Vance’s controversial criticism of Simone Biles’ 2021 Tokyo exit resurfaces after Paris win

For unversed, Whelan’s brother, David, had earlier criticised Trump for ignoring Paul’s case and only addressing it after it gained media limelight. “Those first years were hard when the Trump Administration ignored Paul’s wrongful detention, and it was media attention that helped to finally create critical mass and awareness within the U.S. government,” he said in a statement to the news outlet.