President Biden traded barbs with former President Trump Thursday over the dramatic prisoner swap with Russia that freed several Americans, including journalist Evan Gershkovich and Paul Whelan.

Taking a victory lap after sealing the complicated deal, Biden mocked Trump when a reporter asked about the Republican presidential nominee’s insistence that only he could secure the prisoners’ release.

“Why didn’t he do it when he was president?” Biden said as he wrapped up a press briefing, referring to Whelan, who was jailed in 2018 when Trump was in the White House.

Trump countered by questioning whether Biden and his team drove a tough enough bargain with Russian strongman Vladimir Putin in the seven-country deal to free the Americans in exchange for the release of several Russians held in Western prisons.

“We never make good deals, at anything, especially hostage swaps,” Trump moaned on his social media site. “Our negotiators are always an embarrassment to us.”

Trump claimed that he cut better deals to free Americans held abroad, without offering any examples.

“I got back many hostages, and gave the opposing country NOTHING,” Trump asserted. “That’s the way it should be, or this situation gets worse and worse.”

He demanded more details of the swap, a request that is unlikely to be granted since some of the other nations involved may have demanded secrecy and it could endanger the success of future deals.

“They’re calling the trade ‘complex,'” Trump added. “That’s so no one can figure out how bad it is.”

Biden claimed a big diplomatic win in bringing the hostages home. Aides say Biden made a crucial call to the Slovenian premier just an hour before his dramatic decision to drop out of the presidential race, suggesting that he still has what it takes to score wins on the world stage.

The White House also boosted Kamala Harris, Trump’s Democratic opponent in the November election, by noting that the vice president helped seal the hostage deal in meetings with the German chancellor and Slovenian premier during a recent European trip.

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