Former President Donald Trump discussed the Israel-Hamas hostage negotiations and asserted his influence over recent developments in an interview with The Dan Bongino Show Thursday.
During the broadcast, host Dan Bongino addressed the proposed deal, stating, "It's clear that the Biden team was ready to capitulate to basically all of Hamas' demands. Biden was basically negotiating for Hamas, against Israel," The Dan Bongino Show reported.
"If we weren't involved in this deal, the deal would have never happened. No deal would have happened, and the hostages would never have probably seen life again," Trump said during the interview.
Trump emphasized the timeline for completion, suggesting his threats that the "gates of hell" would open if Hamas did not release hostages played a key role. "We changed the course of it. And we changed it fast," he said, according to The Dan Bongino Show. In a separate statement, he added, "And frankly, it better be done before I take the oath of office."
The former president criticized Biden's claims about the negotiations. "It was so ungracious of Biden to say, oh, he did it. He didn't do anything," Trump said. "If I didn't do this, if we didn't get involved, the hostages would never be out."
Bongino referenced Biden's recent speech, noting the president's exact words: "This is the exact framework I've been proposing since May."
"His principal spokesman yesterday said thank you to President Trump and the Trump administration," Trump said during the broadcast. "Now, he did that because he knew it wouldn't have happened without us."
Trump emphasized his focus on the hostages' welfare: "I'm not looking for credit. I want to get these people out," he said, adding, "They've lived like in hell. And we got to get them out."
Addressing the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, Trump stated, "That October tragedy would have never happened if I were president. It would have never happened. No chance." Bongino concurred, suggesting that "Biden's weakness led to Ukraine, led to China's sabre rattling and all of this stuff."
