Kash Patel didn’t waste time.
Sitting down with Joe Rogan, he opened with a jaw-dropping stat—one few Americans have ever heard.
During Trump’s first term, Patel ran counterterrorism operations for the White House and National Security Council.
In that role, he oversaw one of the most overlooked achievements of the administration.
“Hostages, we can talk about that forever too,” he began.
“Counterterrorism was a big portfolio, I ran it for the White House and National Security Council in the first Trump administration.”
Then came the number:
“We brought home—people don’t know this—President Trump in his first term, brought home and rescued over 50 hostages and detainees from around the world.”
He added, “That’s more than every president before him combined.”
Rogan, clearly taken aback, responded with a simple “Wow.”
Patel pointed out that few people even know these missions happened. Most weren’t headline news.
The stories of families reunited after high-risk rescues in Africa and the Middle East…