JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md.— President Donald Trump welcomed home a trio of U.S. citizens who had been detained in North Korea for more than a year as their plane from Pyongyang landed at a military facility outside Washington early Thursday.

The medical plane carrying the men touched down at 2:42 a.m. local time on a clear, chilly morning as President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence waited nearby. An oversize U.S. flag, stretched in the air by ropes tied to a pair of extended fire truck ladders, greeted the former prisoners.

“It’s a really great night for these three special people,” Trump said, standing next to the three men wearing dress pants and sports jackets. Trump, a former reality television star, joked that the return of the U.S. citizens may have helped set a new record for TV ratings so early in the morning.

Trump and his wife, Melania, boarded the plane carrying the three men at 2:54 a.m. while Pence, his wife, Karen, and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo waited at the bottom of the stairs to the airplane. The Trumps exited the plane five minutes later with the three men who held their arms up in the air in celebration.

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