Yesterday I spent a while looking on Twitter for various Democrats in Congress celebrating the return of the hostages to Israel, or even the return of Palestinian prisoners to Gaza. I looked at all the members of the Squad, but (with one exception) no dice, Of course you wouldn’t expect to see Ilhan Omar or Rashida Tlaib celebrating, because if you celebrate the return of Palestinians to Gaza, you’d have to celebrate the return of the hostages to Israel. But AOC? She wants to be a Senator, or even President, but. . . crickets, and she has two “X” accounts.
Surely Chuck Schumer would have a word for the hostages, right? After all, he’s Jewish. But no—bupkes.
All the Democrats seem to be busy on Twitter blaming the shutdown on Trump. And that’s fine, but couldn’t they celebrate the happiness of having hostages held for two years by Hamas coming home? My theory, which is mine, is that doing that would be giving implicit credit to Trump, and that just won’t do in today’s political climate.
Readers may help by doing their own searches, and if you find a Democrat in the House or Senate celebrating the hostage return, put their names and a link below (I haven’t checked Fetterman, but I’m sure he said something).
Actually, Ayanna Presley, a member of The Squad, did say something, though she also celebrated the return of the 2000 Palestinian prisoners, some of which are murderers and terrorists. But then again, she’d more or less have to:
As a parent and woman of faith, I am deeply relieved that surviving Israeli hostages and detained Palestinians are finally being reunited with their families. And my heart remains shattered for those whose loved ones didn’t make it home today.
Over the past two years, I have…
— Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (@RepPressley) October 13, 2025
Now this was just a short search, and I’m SURE some Democrats are celebrating the hostage return, but given the decreasing approbation for Israel in the U.S., and the fact that one could impute the latest cease-fire agreement partly to Trump, I didn’t see what I expected. Any person of good will should have at least a modicum of joy for what happened the other day. Let me know who you expected to be happy about this but didn’t say squat.
I didn’t look at Republican tweets; I just assumed that they’d say more about the hostage return than the Democrats. After all, they’re in the same party as Trump.
From Ritchie Torres, my favorite Dem…
https://x.com/RitchieTorres/status/1977724428478800116
(My) Virginia senator Tim Kaine on his facebook account yesterday afternoon (gives trump credit…Tim is a mensch) see
https://www.facebook.com/timkaine/posts/im-relieved-that-the-remaining-living-hostages-taken-by-hamas-on-october-7-are-r/1373302627497593/
I think a memo went out to frame the process as occurring over the past two years. Thus, thanking a “President” can be ambiguous if necessary to avoid saying He Who Shall Not Be Named e.g (Klobuchar) :
“After more than 2 years, prayers were answered after the President and others reached an agreement to bring the Israeli hostages home. This is a significant step toward a durable resolution of the war.
We must work to end the humanitarian crisis and secure a lasting peace.”
https://x.com/amyklobuchar/status/1977793922152780121?s=46
I saw other examples with the “2 years” frame and no names given – why not just say “Presidents Biden and Trump” if you want?
And all I know is that a lot of hostages were taken a long time ago, and 20 just returned, so pardon not having the numbers straight.
Elizabeth Warren acknowledged the agreement while at the same time making it about herself. The words “Thank you President Trump” evidently being beyond the pale.
“ For two excruciating years, I have called for the return of the hostages brutally kidnapped on October 7th and held in Gaza.
Today is a good day. Surviving Israeli hostages are finally home and reuniting with loved ones. I’m thinking of them and their families on this joyful day and praying for their full recovery. I’m also grieving for all those who can’t come home today.
Today must also be an important step toward lasting peace in the region — peace for both Israelis and Palestinians. We must end the war in Gaza, surge humanitarian aid, and negotiate a two-state solution now.”
Warren is an idiot. She wants a “two state solution NOW”? She is clueless.
Nothing kills a hot date for me (if I were dating, I’m not..) than some dame mentioning a “Two State Solution”. Date over, split the bill, tootsie. See ya.
I don’t care HOW Native American she is.
🙂
D.A.
NYC
Pritzker on FB: “After two long years being held captive by Hamas, the 20 living Israeli hostages were released and are finally home.
There’s still much work that remains to ensure lasting peace but the hostage release and ceasefire serve as critical steps toward closure and hope for the future.”
I don’t see a comment about this from my Representative Underwood on FB, which is the only social media I look at.
The Trump administration does deserve credit for making this happen. The most credit goes to Israel for conducting a lethal formidable war. This has been so destructive. I am relieved it is over for the present.
Pritzker is a good guy and, if he says healthy, I hope he’ll be a candidate in 2028,
Big “if” PCC(E). I’d vote for “Toastie” before him!
D.A.
NYC
There’s a pretty good compilation of statements here: https://www.jpost.com/international/article-870383
A quote from that:
If one party can’t admit that ANYTHING someone in the other party is good, then we’re truly lost. We have politics based not on accomplishments, but on hatred.
Hatred -> engagement (clicks, votes, $$) -> popularity -> success.
(Not a logical syllogism, but near enough.)
The relative absence of celebratory notes from Democratic lawmakers could be about not wanting to direct credit to The Orange One for anything. I understand this from a purely political view. If president Kamala Harris had done the same (she wouldn’t, but let’s pretend), it would be crickets from Republican lawmakers.
The problem is that the second they admit that he has done something good, the entire king/autocrat/fascist narrative breaks down. They would no longer be able to blanketly condemn him, but would be expected to explain particular actions or policies and give reasons for their opposition. They could just say, ‘Because he’s a Republican,’ but that is hardly going to get the protestors out on the streets.
Even the Original Fascist was credited for making the trains run on time.¹
. . . . .
¹ Although AIUI the improvement was greatly overstated.
It makes sense politically only for politicians who pander to those who celebrate the murder of political opponents, condemn Israel for a supposed genocide, and then remain silent about both Netanyahu and Trump for ending the “genocide.”
We have a test case, Mark. When President Obama ordered the killing of Osama bin Laden, leading Republicans, in and out of office, explicitly praised him. Sure, Republicans will praise anyone who slaughters wartime enemies who they hate, but the Democrats, once upon a time, would praise anyone who advanced peace and negotiated a cessation of military hostilities. It appears a few of them are coming around and noting the bad optics of withholding praise.
Maybe it is simply that 2011 was a lifetime ago, before the Woke revolution broke out in full and warped people’s brains. But I think some brains are more warped than others. Colin Wright’s graphic of the shifting political spectrum is apt: it is the Democrats who have lurched farther left than the Republicans have to the right. Bill Clinton could never survive a primary today with his more moderate policies and his strategy of triangulation. Ronald Reagan could.
Here is Clinton’s statement on Gaza: https://x.com/BillClinton/status/1977805296044249506
I remember the occasion when bin Laden was taken out, and that Republicans were notably reluctant to praise Obama for it. One could check on this, of course.
My memory of the death of Bin Laden is different. The Republicans praised Obama for ordering the raid that killed Bin Laden. Who was opposed? Biden.
Pew has done some research on this. Colin Wright is correct. Democrats have moved more left (a lot) , than Republicans have moved right (far less). See https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/feature/political-polarization-1994-2017/
A quote here should help.
“The Pew Research Center does a poll asking Americans about their beliefs on a variety of issues. When plotted on a graph and then animated to show how ideologies have shifted over time, an eye-opening picture emerges. Since 1994, Republicans are only about 8% more conservative in their beliefs. Democrats, meanwhile, are fully 60% more liberal, with the median Democrat now closer to the far left than the center.”
A measure of how extreme the dominant left has become is that J. K. Rowling was not invited to the 20 year Harry Potter reunion.
A more significant example, is that hysteria over ‘systemic racism’ is discussed far more now, than when it was actually real.
“My theory, which is mine, is that doing that would be giving implicit credit to Trump”
I suspect this is the heart of it.
I have noticed on news outlets like ABC that a lot of credit is given to Trump, whilst also being cautious about how what will happen next, and warning that there is still a lot of work left to do. In other words, I feel they have been pretty fair in acknowledging this positive development, and certainly in celebrating the return of the Israeli hostages.
As someone who thinks Trump has caused irreparable harm to our country, I do find it is hard to give him credit when it is due. I’m not saying this is totally rational behavior on my part, but that even when he does something right, it is hard to ignore all of the other problems that he is causing.
Where were the plaudits from the Left when Bari Weiss became the first lesbian to head a major news organization at CBS? Where were they when Scott Bessant became the first gay Secretary of the Treasury? No where, because it’s all humbug from Progressives. Regardless of your level of oppression, if you aren’t actually a liberal, you go to the back of the bus. The Palestinians are just ideological cannon fodder to the Progressives.
Who cares about ordinary lesbians and gays? And certainly there is no reason to care about cis women. After all, they buy into the oppressive gender binary that was made up by white colonizers. They may think they are “allies”, but they are not. The only woman worth anything is a man in a dress. Gays and lesbians who act and dress conventionally are worthless. They are not helping to queer the world.
Don’t play that game, DrB, you of ALL people!
“First one headed — insert sacred category of human — on Mars!” is an ID politics game not worth playing.
If you want to play though, PBS devotes its entire show to it every single night.
D.A.
NYc
A ten second AI search (simply meaning I didn’t spend much time on it either) offered the following list of examples . . .
High-profile Democratic statements
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) called it a “wonderful day” and an “immense and overwhelming sigh of relief” upon the release of the final living hostages. He commended the efforts of President Trump, the administration, and the tireless work of the hostage families.
Former President Bill Clinton noted his gratitude that the final 20 living hostages were freed. He said, “President Trump and his administration, Qatar, and other regional actors deserve great credit for keeping everyone engaged until the agreement was reached”.
Former Vice President Kamala Harris, the 2024 Democratic presidential nominee, expressed her relief and commended the leaders and partners involved in brokering the agreement. She stated that the deal was an “important first step toward a more hopeful future” but noted that more work was needed to secure lasting peace.
Senator John Fetterman (D-PA), a vocal supporter of Israel, posted on X that “The nightmare finally ends” and gave credit to President Trump for the “breakthrough ceasefire”.
Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ) stated that Trump “should get a lot of credit” for the deal and added, “This was his deal. He worked this out”.
Representative Ro Khanna (D-CA) called the deal “very welcome news” and expressed hope that the bombing would stop and that “finally, the hostages are going to come home”.
From other hits on that search it looks like many Democratic politicians made positive comments about the return of hostages, and that many news outlets ran headlines such as, “Dems largely quiet about Trump’s role in historic Gaza deal …” and also many ran headlines such as, “US Democrats praise Donald Trump for Gaza deal.”
What seems the norm to me is that image is carefully considered by politicians of any stripe (and / or their aids) when releasing comments about issues and events of note. But their are notable differences between the major Parties. Democratic politicians seem to think that being perceived as a decent person is good for their image. Republican politicians seem to think that being perceived as a decent person is only good for their image if it also makes Democratic politicians look bad. Of course there are exceptions, but that is a very visible trend, and has been for at least 20 years.
From Senator Klobuchar:
https://x.com/amyklobuchar/status/1977793922152780121
Not a Trump fan but very happy he helped get the hostages home. If he can actually get peace going for good he would truly deserve the Peace Prize.
+1
Total agreement Frau.
best,
D.A.
NYC
John Fetterman is celebrating (https://www.foxnews.com/politics/fetterman-marks-release-last-living-hostages-the-nightmare-finally-ends?msockid=1e090f92b82d6c5a2a901d6fb9346d30), but many of the Democrats are hiding their silence behind the government shutdown. It’s a convenient excuse.
Both of my Washington State senators issued press releases on October 9 expressing hope at the conclusion of the agreement. But did they evidence any joy when the hostages were actually released, or any heartache for the families whose deceased loved ones remain in Hamas’s hands? It appears that the answer is no. I can neither find a press release nor a verbal statement to the press from either one of them. If another Washington State reader has seen or heard otherwise, please correct my error.
You write about Dems’ silence upon the hostages’ return, “That [expressing happiness at their release] would be giving implicit credit to Trump, and that just won’t do in today’s political climate.” Yes, and perhaps even more, it would alienate their political base to do so (that is, to express happiness at their release).
In the past I have given credit for a good accomplishment by politicians with whom I generally disagreed. But Trump is just so much an exception that it seems something good occasionally happens while he is trying to enrich himself or feel like a strongman or the fighting squirrels in his head just lurched in a given direction. Hard to give credit.
Indeed, especially when you know that the hard details (that map showing different control lines for the different phases) was not only clearly not his idea, but an idea he wouldn’t be capable of having.
I don’t expect all the details of an agreement to be worked out by the president personally, any president. I think it is common for details of such negotiations to be proposed and discussed by people other than the heads of state. I don’t think the control lines not being his idea reflects badly on him.
“I don’t think the control lines not being his idea reflects badly on him.”
I agree. But can you imagine him (as one can easily imagine Obama) actually understanding them when they were explained to him, and being able to integrate them into a larger mental picture of the region, the actors involved, and the logistical challenges? It may be a failing on my part, but I simply can’t.
The only thing that seems certain with regard to his understanding of the plan is that he genuinely thought he would win a Nobel Prize for it.
In what way “clearly”?
‘In what way “clearly”?’
Because he’s no longer capable of forming a coherent sentence, let alone the connected series of thoughts, backed by detailed knowledge of geography, population distribution, and military dispositions, and refined by contemplation of a series of if–then questions, that went into creating the plan.
“Clearly” (I used the word advisedly), what happened was simply that he said to someone “come up with a plan”, and that command, by fortuitous circumstance, got passed down to someone (probably a career soldier or analyst in the Pentagon, or a team of them) who was capable of putting such a plan together.
It’s the plan (and its planners) that deserves the credit. Trump certainly deserves whatever credit is due for saying “come up with a plan”, and then announcing the result, but as we now know, even that was mostly motivated by some witless belief that he would win a Nobel Prize for doing so.
In his own way he has high credibility when making threats, the “madman strategy” of negotiation — the so-and-so just might actually be crazy enough to carry through with it (depending on the lurchings of the squirrels, of course).
Yes Barbara. I do think his madman theory/tough guy persona goes a long way to his undeniable success in the Middle East.
best regards,
D.A.
NYC
My Senator, Tammy Baldwin, had a positive press release on the hostages, the war, and the cease-fire. I wrote and asked my representative, also a democrat, to do the same.
Meanwhile in Australia the State of Victoria has announced that they will establish Ibrahim X. Kendi’s ‘solution to racisim’.
A self appointed, self perpetuating censorship board with full override powers on ‘white man’s law/government’.
Meanwhile the education system will be focussing on teaching white students from the earliest age that ‘it’s all their fault’.
Fun times.
Please, a cite. I admit to thinking it’s not credible that they would be that stupid.
Well, it is Melbourne. I think that’s sort of like Portland, Oregon. The very worse pro-trans pseudoscience comes out of there. They don’t have to be stupid. Just evil, with no organized force to stop them. But yes, a cite would be nice.
Personally I strongly prefer stupid over evil — they’re generally much easier to outmanoeuvre, unless one is surrounded by them.
I visited Portland once in the beforetime. It seemed quite nice then — artsy but not crazy, and friendlier than Seattle. YMMV.
Yes, Leslie. Melbourne is now Oz’s biggest city and WILDLY woke.
And they might just be the top genderwang gravitational center of the universe.
Their new name is Naam or s/t – an Aboriginal name no actual Aboriginal person has ever used this or last century. (sigh)
D.A.
NYC
Ooohhhhhh. I was born and grew up there, 1970-90.
They USED to be not that stupid but today… I dare not look. So embarrassing. Now I tell fellow Aussies I meet …I’m from Sydney!
Hmmm. Could be possible their downfall was caused by my departure?
D.A.
NYC
In the spirit of equitable incivility, here’s the Right Honourable Sir Robert Muldoon GCMG CH:
“New Zealanders who leave for Australia raise the IQ of both countries”.
🙂
There’s only one democrat that my state of Georgia has in congress right now, so I googled to see if he made any statement about the ceasefire. I was holding my breath, but I think he acquitted himself very well:
Yes, well done.
As of 2025, five Democrats represent Georgia in the U.S. House of Representatives. The other nine House members from Georgia are Republicans, and both of Georgia’s U.S. senators are Democrats.
Jerry might have been a bit unfair to say that democrats were mostly ignoring the release of hostages. Rather blame the media. They haven’t been reporting positive things democrats have said on twitter including, occasionally, congratulating Trump. The media is at least as ideologically captured, sometimes more so, as democrats.
Were there Americans/binationals among the hostages released?
Yes, well done.