“We’ve been negotiating long and hard. We do not pay ransom in this country, at least any longer,” he said in the meeting with Brunson. He said the only real deal was a “psychological” one: “We feel much different about Turkey today than we did yesterday. . . . I think we have a chance of becoming much closer to Turkey.”<doc-sep>President Donald Trump met with American pastor Andrew Brunson in the Oval Office on Saturday, one day after the North Carolina pastor was freed from detention in Turkey. Brunson was released on Friday after nearly two years in detention for terrorism charges and arrived in Washington, D.C., on Saturday afternoon. Sitting in the Oval Office with Brunson, Trump congratulated the pastor repeatedly and thanked Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for facilitating the release. "Everybody wanted this to happen. I think we can say this was bipartisan. I think if there was ever a bipartisan event, this was it," Trump said. U.S. President Donald Trump and American evangelical Christian preacher Andrew Brunson participate in a prayer a day after he was released from a Turkish jail, in the Oval Office, on October 13, 2018, in Washington. Mark Wilson / Getty Images Brunson thanked Trump, his administration and Sens. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., who he said visited him while he was imprisoned. Brunson's wife, Norine, and their children also thanked Trump. "You really fought for us," Brunson said. Trump praised Vice President Mike Pence and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who he said brought Brunson's case up frequently. "I would say we spoke about this at least once a day," Trump said. "We thought we had it done two months ago. Sometimes it doesn't always work out, but I can only tell you that's better than anybody else could have done." Trump also championed his role in facilitating the release of Americans held in North Korea and Egypt. "Right now the whole world is fan of yours," Trump said, referring to numerous faith leaders, members of Congress and his administration who advocated for Brunson's release. "The whole world is your fan and your family's fan." Brunson later asked to pray over the president, which Trump joked he needed "more than probably anybody in this room." Kneeling before Trump, Brunson asked God to give the president "supernatural wisdom to lead the country." Norine Brunson also offered her prayers to Trump. The president then replied, "Can I ask you a question? Who did you vote for?" Trump joked that he already knew the answer, and Andrew Brunson offered that he "sent in an absentee ballot from prison." The president also joked that he wouldn't ask Brunson if he had plans to return to Turkey. "We do love Turkey. We were there for 25 years and we love the Turkish people" Brunson said. Bruson said he and his wife plan to go home, pray, and "see what God wants for the next part of our lives." He said he planned to discuss his treatment in Turkish prison at a later date. "This is a time to thank the administration and people in government who supported us ... We love this country," Brunson said. While speaking to media Trump also answered questions about Jamal Khashoggi, the Washington Post journalist, who was alleged to have been killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. When asked if the timing of Brunson's release and Khashoggi's suspect death were in any way related, Trump said the timing was purely coincidental. Trump and Pompeo said they have not yet seen or heard any tapes that would prove what happened to Khashoggi, and added that they're going to "determine what happened first” before considering any action. NBC News reported a day before Brunson's release that a deal had been struck between the U.S. and Turkey that would result in certain charges against him being dropped. Senior Trump administration officials told NBC News that discussions between the two countries included a commitment by the U.S. to ease economic pressure on Turkey. But Trump tweeted on Saturday that there was no deal made with the Turks and that he doesn't "make deals for hostages." There was NO DEAL made with Turkey for the release and return of Pastor Andrew Brunson. I don’t make deals for hostages. There was, however, great appreciation on behalf of the United States, which will lead to good, perhaps great, relations between the United States & Turkey! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 13, 2018 Brunson, a North Carolina native, was one of two dozen Americans charged with helping Kurdish militants and supporters of Fethullah Gulen, the cleric whom the government blames for planning a failed coup in 2016. Brunson, who had lived Turkey for more than two decades, has denied the charges. The evangelical pastor who led a small congregation in Turkey had been convicted and sentenced to more than three years in prison. But he was ordered released for time served and allowed to leave the country after spending nearly two years in detention. A separate charge of espionage was also dropped. Trump was among many politicians celebrating his release. It's viewed as a triumph for both the president and Republicans who are counting on the support of evangelical Christians in the November election. Trump told a crowd of thousands of supporters in Lebanon, Ohio, on Friday, "We've had a lot of success."<doc-sep>In the end, pressure from Washington on Ankara was too much. Sanctions, trade tariffs and the threat of more had led US-Turkey relations to nosedive - and with them, the Turkish lira. Facing spiralling inflation, a 40% drop in the value of the currency and the start of an economic crisis, Turkey had to act to normalise relations with the US. Mr Brunson was the key.<doc-sep>Mr. Brunson’s case had become a cause célèbre among religious conservatives, and Mr. Trump eagerly embraced it. He credited the pressure he had put on Turkey for Mr. Brunson’s release, but said he had agreed to no deal. “The only deal, if you could call it a deal, is a psychological one,” he said. “We feel much different about Turkey today than we did yesterday.” That may be exactly what Turkey wanted, given the clash over Mr. Khashoggi, but Mr. Trump made clear once again that he had no immediate or specific plans to take action against Saudi Arabia. He again rejected the idea of canceling or postponing arms sales on the grounds that it would cost American businesses money and jobs, and he made no move to cancel Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin’s coming trip to Saudi Arabia for an investment conference, even though several American businesses are pulling out. In an interview with “60 Minutes” to be aired on CBS on Sunday, Mr. Trump said “there will be severe punishment” if Saudi Arabia is found to have ordered the killing of Mr. Khashoggi, but neither in the interview nor in his comments to reporters on Saturday did he suggest what such punishment would look like. Instead, he extolled the virtues of an arms sales deal he cut with Saudi Arabia during a visit last year. “I worked very hard to get the order for the military,” he said. “If they don’t buy it from us, they’re going to buy it from Russia or they’re going to buy it from China or they’re going to buy it from other countries.” Canceling the sales, he said, “I actually think we would be punishing ourselves if we did that.” Mr. Trump said that he had received a letter from Mr. Khashoggi’s fiancée, Hatice Cengiz, and that he had invited her to meet with him. He said that he planned to call King Salman of Saudi Arabia later on Saturday or Sunday to ask him about Mr. Khashoggi’s disappearance.<doc-sep>
Freed American pastor Andrew Brunson met and prayed with President Trump in the Oval Office Saturday, thanking him for having "really fought for us" -- a day after his release from house arrest in Turkey. Brunson, from North Carolina, arrived in the U.S. earlier Saturday after stopping in Germany on Friday. Brunson was imprisoned in October 2016 due to his alleged ties to an outlawed group as part of a crackdown on a failed coup in Turkey against President Recep Erdogan’s government. A Turkish judge on Friday ordered him freed from house arrest on Friday after sentencing him to time served on terror and treason charges. Brunson thanked Trump in the Oval Office, saying "you really fought for us, unusually so, from the time you took office." He also thanked members of Congress on both sides of the aisle who had worked for his release. "We're so grateful to so many people in Congress who stood with us, who prayed for us, who fought for us," he said. In a dramatic moment, Brunson knelt down and prayed with the President -- asking God for "supernatural wisdom to accomplish all the plans you have for this country and for him." In his remarks, Trump said it was a "great honor" to have Brunson in the White House and thanked a number of lawmakers and members of the Cabinet for their assistance in securing Bunson's release. "If ever there was a bipartisan effort, this was it," he said. A number of senators, as well as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and National Security Advisor John Bolton, were in attendance in the Oval Office. Trump also appeared to take something of a swipe at the previous administration when he said: "We do not pay ransom in this country, at least any longer." Brunson said he and his wife looked forward to spending time with children and praying to see what God wants next from him. Trump, who had thanked Turkish President Erdogan "for his help" earlier in the day, expressed hope that Brunson's release would mark the start of better relations between the two countries. Trump said on Twitter that while there was “great appreciation” and a hope of good relations between the U.S. and Turkey, but there was “no deal” made for Brunson’s return. ANDREW BRUNSON, AMERICAN PASTOR DETAINED IN TURKEY, IS FREED, SENTENCED TO TIME SERVED “There was NO DEAL made with Turkey for the release and return of Pastor Andrew Brunson. I don’t make deals for hostages,” he tweeted. “There was, however, great appreciation on behalf of the United States, which will lead to good, perhaps great, relations between the United States & Turkey!” The Trump administration advocated persistently for Brunson's release, leading to an intense economic showdown between the two NATO allies. In August, the U.S. slapped sanctions on an array of Turkish officials and on some goods, sending Turkish currency into freefall. Brunson's release still leaves Turkey frustrated by the Trump administration's refusal to extradite Fethullah Gulen, a Pennsylvania-based Muslim cleric accused by Turkey of engineering the failed coup. Brunson was accused of committing crimes on behalf of Gulen and Kurdish militants who have been fighting the Turkish state for decades. He faced up to 35 years in jail if convicted of all the charges against him. Fox News' Kristin Brown and The Associated Press contributed to this report. Fox News’ Greg Norman and The Associated Press contributed to this report.