Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Tuesday that Marc Fogel, an American who had been detained in Russia since 2021, was released because the U.S. has a “strong president” in President Donald Trump.
Rubio made the comments during an appearance on Fox News’ “Hannity.”
“We have a great team here … but none of this is possible without President Trump,” Rubio said. “This is the 10th American that has come home after being detained somewhere overseas in just three weeks. And for the White House, it’s an extraordinary achievement. This is what happens when you have a strong president.”
“Look, anytime an American comes home, we should be excited about it. This is a case that languished under the Biden administration, they really didn’t give it priority. And so tonight is really a happy occasion. It should be for all Americans, but certainly for Mr. Fogel and his family,” he continued.
Fogel, a history teacher who was working at the Anglo-American School in Moscow, returned to the U.S. after his release from Russia following talks with the Trump administration.
He was serving a 14-year sentence after his arrest in August 2021 at a Russian airport for possession of drugs, which his family said was medically prescribed marijuana.
After his arrival in the U.S., Fogel, from Pennsylvania, met with Trump at the White House and called him a “hero” for securing his release. His family, in a statement, also thanked Trump for his “unwavering leadership” that helped free Fogel.
When asked by reporters on Tuesday whether the U.S. had given up anything in return for Fogel, Trump replied “not much” without offering additional details.
Rubio stressed the importance of having a strong leader as president when handling sensitive matters with other leaders around the world.
“We have a strong president, I think people forget how important that is,” Rubio told host Sean Hannity. “At the end of the day, we are dealing all over the world with strong leaders. We may not like them or what they do, but these are strong leaders that respect strength. And that’s what we have with Donald Trump in the White House. And, he also made this a campaign priority. So, I think you’re beginning to see the fruits of what happened. We were led by a strong president who does what he says he’s going to do and doesn’t just give it lip service.”
He also suggested that with Trump in office, the U.S. government could achieve other foreign policy goals, including ending the Russia-Ukraine war and the Israel-Hamas war, which is now under a ceasefire.
“I think that the reason why this might be linked to so many other things over time is because of that strength,” the secretary said. “When you have a president that’s strong, like Donald Trump, you’re going to have a chance to achieve things, whether it’s in Ukraine and ending that war, whether it’s some of the conflicts that we’re now seeing in the Middle East or anywhere in the world, because they know he’s not playing around.”
“He says he’s going to do it, and then he does it,” Rubio added. “And this is not some president that wastes a lot of time talking about things that he’s never going to do or doesn’t mean to do. If he says he’s going to do something, he’ll do it. And these leaders know it. And so, and hopefully, they’ll bear fruit in a bunch of places beyond just what we’re seeing tonight.”
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