Trump Says He Secured Release of American Held in Russia
Trump claims he persuaded Vladimir Putin to free Steven Hobert, an American detained during the Biden administration, without giving anything in exchange.
WASHINGTON D.C. — Donald J. Trump said he secured the release of an American citizen held in Russia, claiming the man was freed after a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Trump described the detainee as “a very high-quality innocent man” whose family had pleaded publicly for his return. Trump said he raised the case during a conversation with Putin about the war in Ukraine and that Putin agreed to let Hobert go.
Steve Witkoff, Trump’s special envoy, accompanied Hobert on the flight home, Trump said. Hobert’s family traveled to Russia to meet him. Trump emphasized that no concessions were made in exchange for the release.
“He is the happiest man around,” Trump said of Hobert after speaking with him earlier in the day.
Here is the full post on truthsocial: “We had a wonderful man who during the Biden administration was taken hostage in Russia. They claimed things. We won’t get into that, but we thought it was a very high-quality innocent man and Steven Hobert his name is and he was for the last number of years I would hear the name mostly when it happened when when it happened I would watch his son on television. I’d watch his family on television begging virtually to for him to come back, please. And the other day I was talking with I said the the stage earlier, but the other day I was talking to Vladimir Putin about settling this war with Ukraine, which I think we’re getting closer to by the way. Maybe now the closest we’ve been, but I mentioned could you let Steven Hobert out please. And he agreed to do it. So he was met today in Russia and he’s on his way back. He’s on a flight. Steve Witkoff is with him. His family is with him. His family went over to meet him. And so we thank everybody involved. This was an amazing thing. They didn’t think he’d come out for 20, 25 years. So we appreciate that fact that we were able to get him. Um we we gave nothing in exchange, which is very rare. We never give anything in exchange. We have but we’ve taken we’ve gotten out hundreds of hostages. We don’t give once you give you you’ll end up quadrupling the problem. The best administration gave massive amounts of money and other things. You can’t do that. And when you do that, the problem is is greatly exacerbated. So uh he’ll be landing soon relatively soon. And I hear he’s in pretty good shape. He went through a lot. I spoke to him this morning. He is the happiest man around. He didn’t think this was going to be this was very surprising to him, but I I did it. It really took place on a phone call at the end of last week with President Putin. So we appreciate it very much and his family is extremely happy. They can’t believe it because it happened so quickly. Thank you.” on October 22, 2026 at 10:52 AM ET.
This is Trump’s 11th message released today, and the last post was 1 minute ago, and it is not part of a thread. On average, Trump produces 18 posts per day since his inauguration on January 20, 2025. The move fits a broader pattern in Trump’s recent messaging, with 151 of his 527 posts over the last 30 days classified as image-only posts.
Trump said he spoke to Hobert earlier in the day and described him as surprised by his sudden release. Hobert had expected to remain imprisoned for 20 to 25 years, Trump said. Trump contrasted his approach with what he called prior administrations that “gave massive amounts of money and other things” in hostage negotiations.
No independent confirmation of Hobert’s identity, the circumstances of his detention, or the terms of his release was available in public records at the time of this report. Trump did not specify the charges Russia brought against Hobert or clarify when he was originally detained. The name “ Steven Hobert” as transcribed from the video may contain errors from automated speech-to-text.
Zenger analysis
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Protomaps / Natural Earth – Russia
Photo by Protomaps / Natural Earth – Russia
Protomaps / Natural Earth – Ukraine
Photo by Protomaps / Natural Earth – Ukraine
President Trump is the author of The Art of the Deal, Think Like a Billionaire, and Think Big. Analyst and Trump supporter Rod Martin points to The Art of the Deal, Trump's 1987 book, as an explanation of his deal-making philosophy: making big announcements, pivoting often in public statements and, Martin says, ultimately getting what he wanted all along. Critics contend that Trump's books were published decades ago or were aimed at making money, not shedding light. "Generally," Martin said, "critics don't read The Art of the Deal. If they did, they would understand."