The last time a U.S. President played the lead role in a major release of international hostages was January 1981.

President Ronald Reagan was in office. By his position and firmness as President-elect, the holders of the American hostages in Lebanon knew they needed to release their captives as soon as the Reagan administration took over for the Carter administration. They did.

Reagan couldn’t go abroad for the release, as he was being inaugurated.

Monday morning, President Donald Trump was in Israel as the first phase of the peace deal he led was consummated. All twenty of the living hostages were released by Hamas and their cohorts.

Trump then made a historical speech to the Knesset, the Israeli parliament.

It may have been the most historically significant speech of a head of stat

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