Donald Trump considers Middle East trip, makes bold statement on hostages

President Trump stated that without his help, the hostage deal would not have materialised, and blamed Biden for the delay in the return of hostages

Published on: Jan 22, 2025, 11:50:20 IST

By HT News Desk

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US President Donald Trump during a news conference at the White House on Tuesday said he is considering going to the Middle East, after the return of the hostages. He also emphasized that the hostages would not have survived if he hadn't imposed pressure and helped facilitate the deal, reported PTI.

President Trump during a joint news conference at the White House with Oracle CTO Larry Ellison, Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son, and Open AI CEO Sam Altman. (AP)

“We're thinking about going to the Middle East. But not yet, as hostages are coming back right now,” Trump announced during a joint news conference at the White House with Oracle CTO Larry Ellison, Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son, and Open AI CEO Sam Altman.

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He also commented on the injuries suffered by the hostages who were released as part of a ceasefire and hostage exchange deal between Israel and Hamas, mediated by the US.

“Some of them have been very, very damaged. You look at the young lady with her hand practically blown off…you know how that happened, right? When you find out, you're not going to be too happy because it was terrible. But the hostages are starting to come back,” he said.

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While the deal took place in the last days of the Biden administration, Donald Trump has stated that without his insistence, the hostages may never have returned.

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“If I weren't here, they would have never come back. They would have all died…You go back just six months, many of these young people were living -- you know, young people don't die like that. But now they're dying. And you wonder why they're dying; they're being killed,” Trump said.

Trump also claimed that the Biden administration was at fault for delaying the deal.

"If this were done a year earlier, if (Joe) Biden would have done this deal a year-and-a-half, two years ago... Frankly, October 7 should have never happened. Biden couldn't get it done. It was only after the imposition that I put on as a deadline that got it done," he said.

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HT News Desk
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