Donald Trump meets with families of freed Israeli hostages
President Donald Trump met with released Israeli hostages and families of former hostages at Congress.
On the day the last remaining Israeli hostage returned home after two years in captivity and both Israelis and Palestinians celebrated the end of the Israel-Hamas war, many American elder statesmen and politicians remained silent.
World leaders praised President Donald Trump’s efforts, but the former Democratic president (and presidential candidate) did not discuss his successor’s role in brokering a ceasefire or taking important steps toward a peace agreement.
For example, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi awarded President Trump the Order of the Nile, Egypt’s highest national honor for extraordinary public service to the nation and humanity.
However, until 3:15 p.m. On October 13, ET, more than 12 hours after the hostages were released, there was no acknowledgment on social media from former Presidents Obama, Clinton, or Biden. Former Republican President George W. Bush also did not support Trump or 2024 Democratic candidate Kamala Harris, but he did not publicly acknowledge Trump’s efforts.
The agreement to release the hostages came after several failed attempts to end the two-year war, which began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas attacked Israel, killing 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 hostages.
Subsequent Israeli attacks on Hamas in the Gaza Strip have left more than 66,000 Palestinians dead, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry.
This week, 20 Israeli hostages returned from Gaza and about 2,000 Palestinian prisoners released by Israel arrived in the first phase of a US-brokered ceasefire plan.
Some former leaders actually responded to the Trump administration’s plans for the region. Four days before the hostages were released, President Obama said, without naming Trump himself, “We should all be encouraged and relieved that an end to the conflict is in sight.”
Reaction from Trump supporters on social media was swift.
“Obama hails the peace deal reached in Gaza, but doesn’t mention or give credit to the man who made it possible, Donald J. Trump,” said one social media user.
White House communications director Stephen Chan responded to Obama’s post simply by saying, “Say his name…President Donald J. Trump.”
Of course, Trump doesn’t tend to praise Democratic lawmakers. The president has a long history of going after Obama, starting with the birther conspiracy theory. Trump has also repeatedly accused the former president of treason after defeating Hillary Clinton in 2016, claiming without evidence that the former president and his aides fabricated information to politicize him.
The president also had a habit of giving his opponents offensive nicknames, such as “Sleepy Joe” and “Crooked Hillary.”
In an Oct. 11 interview with CBS, Clinton called the cease-fire plan an “important first step” and said she praised President Trump, his administration, and Arab leaders in the region.
Some Democrats praised Trump more explicitly on Monday.
Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Florida, said “a weight has been lifted from the world” and that it was a “great day” for the families of the hostages. “And thank you to @POTUS and all the negotiators who made this day possible,” he wrote in a post to X.
Sen. Jon Ossoff, Democrat of Georgia, issued a statement on October 13 saying that the ceasefire and hostage release had raised hopes for “lasting peace in Gaza,” adding that he applauded “the efforts of the Trump administration and international partners to achieve this moment.”
World leaders praise Trump’s ‘uncompromising efforts for peace’
Many world leaders praised Trump once the hostages were freed, including some who had disagreements with him in recent months amid tariff negotiations.
“After more than two years in captivity, we welcome the release of all the hostages. Their freedom is a testament to the courage of their families, President Trump’s uncompromising efforts for peace, and Prime Minister Netanyahu’s determination,” Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote in a letter to X.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif spoke passionately about President Trump at a summit in Egypt. He also immediately nominated Trump as a candidate for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer expressed his “deep sense of relief that the hostages have been freed” on October 13.
“It is now critical that we work together to implement President Trump’s Gaza peace plan,” he wrote to X.
Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy is USA TODAY’s White House correspondent. You can follow her at X @SwapnaVenugopal.
