Freed Michigan Teacher Stephen Hubbard Meets Trump at White House After Russian Prison Release

Stephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old retired teacher from Michigan, met President Donald Trump in the Oval Office on Friday, about a week after his 21 October release from a Russian prison where he spent more than four years. Hubbard was arrested soon after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 on charges that he fought as a mercenary there. His legal team has denied the accusations and said he took no part in military activity. In his first public remarks since his release, Hubbard said he only believed he would be freed when he was given new clothes and led to the prison exit, and then during the drive from Moscow to St Petersburg. He said he had been told many times before that he would be released but did not trust it. Trump has said he asked Russian leader Vladimir Putin to free Hubbard and that the US did not have to release anyone in return. Trump said Hubbard was somebody he wanted to get back. The White House allowed a limited group of reporters to attend.

Newsmax, the right-leaning outlet, leads with Trump: its headline says the president welcomed a freed US prisoner, and its opening describes the Oval Office visit, Hubbard's age, home state and time in custody. The Guardian US and The New York Times, on the left, put Hubbard's own account first. The Guardian's headline says he believed he would never be freed, and it quotes his "seeing is believing" outlook and his description of the drive to St Petersburg. It also includes his legal team's denial and Trump's remarks. The Times says he sometimes lost hope. Both sides report the release, the Oval Office meeting and the four-plus years in prison. They differ in emphasis: the right frames the story as a presidential welcome, while the left frames it as a prisoner's experience. NewsNation, the independent outlet, stresses Hubbard's gratitude and relief at being back in the US, in a headline saying it is better than where he was before.