The father of the American who was recently sent home from North Korea praised the Trump administration on Thursday after his son was released and said the Obama administration's "results speak for themselves."
Fred Warmbier spoke to the media about his son Otto's comatose state and imprisonment by the North Korean regime.
After thanking Sen. Rob Portman (R., Ohio) for his support and assistance, Warmbier recounted how his son was freed.
"When Otto was first taken, we were advised by the past administration to take a low profile while they worked to obtain his release," Warmbier said. "We did so without result. Earlier this year, Cindy and I decided the time for strategic patience was over, and we made a few media appearances and traveled to Washington to meet with Ambassador Joe Yun at the State Department."
He said it was his understanding that Ambassador Yun, at the direction of President Donald Trump, "aggressively pursued resolution of the situation."
"They have our thanks for bringing Otto home," he said.
His use of the phrase involving "strategic patience" mirrored one used by Vice President Mike Pence when he warned North Korea in April about its belligerent behavior.
Warmbier took questions from the media, including from one reporter who asked more about the Obama administration's handling of Otto's imprisonment.
"You thanked President Trump and then you also said that the past administration didn't do enough, so do you feel like then-President Obama should have been doing more to help?" the reporter asked.
After restating the question for other reporters who could not hear it, Warmbier gave a quick answer.
"The question was, do I think the past administration could have done more? I think the results speak for themselves," Warmbier said.