And grateful to President Donald Trump and his team for never giving up hope.

The scenes were emotional, jubilant, and poignant.

The outpouring of relief and gratitude was an early holiday miracle. The former hostages of Hamas, together with their families, visited the White House and met with some of the U.S. officials who helped negotiate for their release.

The meeting got little attention from mainstream media outlets uninterested in covering anything positive about President Donald Trump, his administration, or its policies.

But the photos speak for themselves.

Could the hostage crisis have been ended by someone else? Without the Trump team, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Vice President J.D. Vance, and so many other Trump officials who helped broker the deal?

Possibly.

But it didn’t. Certainly not while former President Joe Biden was running the show in Washington.

This week was a time of celebration, for heartfelt thanks. For the families and friends of those taken hostage by Hamas terrorists on October 7, 2023, it was a dream come true.

They never gave up hope. And neither did the Trump administration.

President Donald Trump is to be commended for his efforts to free the hostages. But he didn’t do it alone.

Without help from his team of officials, diplomats, and friends, the hostages might still be in the hands of Hamas terrorists and torturers.

The smiles, the laughs, the spontaneous outpourings of relief and joy lightened hearts at the White House. It’s really too bad that more media outlets aren’t reporting about it.

Whether his critics like to admit it or not, President Donald Trump deserves to celebrate this success. Thanks to his efforts, dozens of former hostages will spend the holiday season celebrating with their families.

And that is something we all can celebrate this year.

(Contributing writer, Brooke Bell)