Trump vows to repatriate WSJ's Gershkovich, says Putin lacks respect for Biden

Presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump on Wednesday said Russian President Vladimir Putin has no respect for President Joe Biden and vowed to repatriate Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich should Trump win the presidential election. 

This would mean Trump would want to bring Gershkovich back to the United States.

Russia's Federal Security Service detained Gershkovich in March of 2023 on charges of espionage. The 32-year-old journalist's trial began Wednesday and is taking place behind closed doors, according to PBS.

"Putin has no respect for Biden - and that’s the way it goes!!!" Trump wrote on TRUTH Social. "Fear not, Evan, I will get you home soon, and you will be safe while there!!!"

"EVAN GERSHKOVICH, the young Wall Street Journal reporter who is being harshly detained in Russia as his ESPIONAGE TRIAL is about to begin, will be released prior to my taking office if I WIN the Election on NOVEMBER 5th," he also said.

The 45th president asserted that Biden would likely pay billions of dollars to get Gershkovich home and said he, by contrast, has gotten hostages back "paying next to nothing."

Gershkovich was accused of illegally gathering secrets about the Russian military. In March of this year, a Russian court extended his detention for an extra three months to June 30.