Trump meets with man held hostage in Yemen

Burch was freed after he was held captive for a year and a half by Yemeni rebels. Burch had been living in the country and working for an oil company when he was abducted by armed gunmen in broad daylight in the capital of Sana, according to his family at the time. Sana is controlled by Iranian-backed Houthi revels, who are in an intense conflict with the Yemen government and Sunni countries led by Saudi Arabia.

Mr. Trump announced Burch’s release on Twitter last week.

“Recovering American hostages is a priority of my Admin, and with Danny’s release, we have now secured freedom for 20 American captives since my election victory,” Mr. Trump also tweeted. “We will not rest as we continue our work to bring the remaining American hostages back home!”

Mr. Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo thanked the United Arab Emirates for Burch’s release.

“The United States expresses our deep gratitude to the United Arab Emirates, its people, and its leadership in facilitating the release of Mr. Burch,” Pompeo said in a statement last week. “I applaud the innumerable lines of effort from across the U.S. government to enable this effort, to include the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs Robert O’Brien, U.S. Embassy Abu Dhabi, and the Hostage Recovery Fusion Cell. These efforts reflect the best of what America and its partners can accomplish.”