IDF soldier Edan Alexander, recently freed from Hamas captivity, met Thursday evening at the White House with U.S. President Donald Trump to thank him for his efforts in securing his release. During their meeting, Alexander told Trump that after Trump won the presidential election, Hamas began treating him better. Trump responded with a chuckle: “They weren’t too afraid of Biden.”
Edan Alexander meets with President Donald Trump at the White House
Alexander, who had served as a lone soldier and who returned to the U.S. late last month, arrived at the president’s residence with his parents, Adi and Yael, and his brother. They met Trump just after he finished a lengthy phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump's special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, also attended the meeting.
In a brief video clip of the encounter, Witkoff is heard asking Alexander to tell the president what changed in his captivity after Trump won the election in November and how his captors reacted. “They moved me to a new place, a good place,” Alexander said. “People did everything. They treated me really well.”
“Oh, so they treated you better? Wow,” Trump responded. Witkoff then interjected: “Because you (the president) were coming in—they were afraid of you.” Trump quipped in response, “They weren’t too afraid of Biden,” to which Alexander smiled and said, “No.” Trump continued, “Terrible situation. So right when we won, they treated you better? That’s something. Well, we’re very proud it helped you.”
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The American president noted that Alexander’s U.S. citizenship had greatly helped, and added that securing his release was very important to First Lady Melania Trump, who also joined the meeting.
After the meeting with Trump, Adi Alexander, Edan's father, told Ynet: “It was an excellent meeting that lasted about half an hour. Trump told Edan he was very worried about him because there was a point when contact was lost, and then they were very happy to receive a sign of life. Trump also told him that he’s very happy he’s now in America, that a bright future lies ahead of him, and that he’ll help him with whatever he needs.”
Adi Alexander added that the American president emphasized the importance of bringing home all hostages from Gaza, both the living and the dead: “He said the line he always says when families come to him, both of the living and the fallen: ‘We’re going to close the deal.’”
Edan Alexander said after his meeting with the president that "I came to thank the person who signed the initiative that saved my life and I was very moved to be in the White House. I told the most powerful man in the world what I went through, what my friends are going through there and asked him to continue doing everything in his power."
Edan's mother, Yael, shared: "I had the privilege to meet with the President and the First Lady, and to personally thank them for saving my son and bringing heart back to my family. From here I call on the Prime Minister of Israel: Now is the time to end the nightmare of the families and of all the people of Israel - and bring the hostages home. All of them - now."
Edan Alexander was freed from Hamas captivity nearly two months ago, on May 12, after being held in Gaza for 584 days. His release was carried out by Hamas as a goodwill gesture toward Trump, while the U.S. president was in the Middle East on a diplomatic tour through Gulf states, including Qatar—one of Hamas’s main financial backers and host of the group’s senior leadership.