President Trump on Wednesday night called on Turkish strongman Recep Erdoğan to release an American prisoner who has been in jail for two years.
“A total disgrace that Turkey will not release a respected U.S. Pastor, Andrew Brunson, from prison,” Trump wrote in a tweet.
“He has been held hostage far too long. @RT_Erdogan should do something to free this wonderful Christian husband & father. He has done nothing wrong, and his family needs him!”
Pastor Brunson had lived and worked in Turkey for over 22 years. He was accused of being a member of a terrorist organization after a failed coup took place in the country in 2016.
Trump’s tweet comes one week after he had a run-in with the Turkish president during the recent NATO summit. Trump reportedly gave Erdoğan a friendly “fist bump.”