Trump's week in review: From gutting the federal workforce to meeting with foreign leaders

By Ryan Foley, Christian Post Reporter Saturday, February 15, 2025

2. Secures release of Marc Fogel from Russian prison

In a statement published Wednesday, the White House announced that it had secured the release of Marc Fogel, a U.S. citizen it described as “wrongfully detained in a Russian prison.” Fogel praised Trump as a “hero” in remarks to the press delivered as he appeared at the White House after arriving in the U.S. Tuesday night. 

As news of Fogel’s release broke, his family expressed gratitude: “Thanks to the unwavering leadership of President Trump, Marc will soon be back on American soil, free where he belongs.”

In a social media post on Wednesday, Trump thanked Russian President Vladimir Putin with releasing the U.S. citizen. 

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Imprisoned since 2021, Fogel was arrested for possessing medical marijuana and sentenced to 14 years in prison. On Wednesday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov informed the media that Fogel’s release comes as a result of a prisoner swap with an unidentified Russian citizen detained in the U.S. who is expected to return home in the coming days. 

Trump successfully securing Fogel’s release comes after the American teacher’s mother filed a lawsuit against the Biden administration over what she characterized as lackluster efforts to get her son out of jail.

Fogel’s mother maintained in the complaint that then-Secretary of State Antony Blinken failed to provide a convincing reason why her son had not received the “wrongfully detained” designation under the Levinson Act, which would have provided Fogel and his family with resources such as enabling them to obtain information on U.S. policy.