Marc Fogel Headed To Meet With Trump At White House Following Release From Russian Prison

Tonight, President Donald Trump will meet at the White House with Marc Fogel, an American schoolteacher whose release from detention was successfully negotiated by his administration.

“The fact that Marc Fogel is coming home and was prioritized by his country and will be meeting with President Trump tonight means so much to his family,” Free Marc Fogel spokesperson Vicki Iseman told The Daily Wire.

Fogel is expected to meet with the president around 10 p.m. ET.

Fogel, 63, was given a 14-year prison sentence for possessing medical marijuana in 2021. An employee of the Anglo-American School of Moscow, Fogel spent 27 years teaching overseas, and was planning to retire the year he was arrested. An American doctor prescribed the marijuana after Fogel had surgeries on his back, shoulder, and knee. 

“Marc has taught American diplomats’ children for decades and made major contributions to this country,” Iseman said. “He did not deserve to be detained for three years and coming back with his head held high is something that he does deserve.”

Fogel’s release was negotiated by Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff. Fogel was flown out of Russia on Witkoff’s private jet, The New York Times reported. Iseman says that “so many others” also contributed to the effort over the years. It is unclear what the United States offered Russia to secure Fogel’s release.

The Fogel family was first alerted to his release on Thursday when they were informed Fogel was moved from the Rybinsk penal colony to SIZO in the Yaroslavl region. 

“President Trump, Steve Witkoff and the president’s advisers negotiated an exchange that serves as a show of good faith from the Russians and a sign we are moving in the right direction to end the brutal and terrible war in Ukraine,” National Security Adviser Mike Waltz said in a statement.

Fogel’s family fought relentlessly for his release over the past four years. His 95-year-old mother, Malphine, met with Trump at his July rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, where he told her he would do everything he could to free her son if elected.

“When I met President Trump, he told me to take his arm because he could see I struggle with walking after I broke my kneecap,” Malphine told The Daily Wire. “I just kept telling him he needs to remember Marc’s name.”

Malphine was scheduled to appear on stage with Trump until a would-be assassin fired at Trump. Fogel was standing about 25 feet away from Trump when the shots rang out.

Malphine said Trump repeated Marc’s name and promised to get him out three times. 

“President Trump made a commitment to his mother and he did what he said he would do,” Iseman said.  “He knew that telling a 95-year-old woman that he would bring her son home if elected was a promise he could not break, and he did not.”

Fogel had strong allies in his corner, including Sen. Dave McCormick (R-PA), who advocated for Fogel’s release. During Rubio’s confirmation hearing, McCormick asked about Fogel.

“This is a case that has to be elevated and hopefully one that can be done through strong private diplomacy at a minimum as a goodwill gesture because if they are not willing to do this… then I think the chances of improvement in U.S.-Russia relations are impossible,” Rubio said.

He added that he has met with Fogel’s family in the past and believes Marc was arrested because of an order in Russia to arrest Americans for anything they can be charged with in order to exchange them in the future.