Summary:
- Former U.S. President Donald Trump shared an AI-generated video depicting Gaza as a luxury resort, sparking widespread criticism.
- The video, featuring surreal imagery like Trump-themed statues and beachside opulence, was posted without comment and originated from the platform Rumble.
- Palestinians and Hamas condemned the video as offensive, with Rafah’s mayor calling it a “fantasy” disconnected from Gaza’s harsh realities.
- The video follows Trump’s controversial proposal to displace Palestinians and has been widely criticized for trivializing the region’s suffering.
U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday night shared an AI-generated video depicting the war-torn Gaza Strip as a luxurious resort bearing his name. The video, which quickly drew condemnation from Palestinians and others, comes less than a week after Trump appeared to retreat from a controversial proposal to forcibly displace Palestinians and assert U.S. control over the territory.
The origins of the video remain unclear, and Trump provided no commentary when he posted it on social media. Versions of the video have circulated on platforms such as LinkedIn, X (formerly Twitter), and Instagram in recent weeks. The version shared by Trump appeared to have been downloaded from Rumble, a Florida-based video-sharing platform popular among right-wing audiences.
The video begins with scenes of destruction in Gaza, including gunmen walking through rubble-strewn streets, before transitioning to images of opulent development and beachside luxury. It features surreal elements, including a child holding a balloon shaped like Trump’s head, a golden statue of Trump, and a man throwing money on a beach. Other bizarre details include belly dancers with beards and green headscarves, and what appears to be Elon Musk eating bread with six fingers on one hand. One scene shows Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sitting shirtless by a pool with drinks in hand.
Palestinians immediately denounced the video as offensive and disconnected from the harsh realities on the ground. Ahmed al-Soufi, mayor of Rafah in southern Gaza, where thousands live in tents amid rubble, called it “a fantasy.” “If Mr. Trump wants to give Palestinians a place to live in dignity and a future, he must give them a state alongside Israel,” al-Soufi said.
The video also faced backlash from Hamas, which labeled it “disgraceful.” Arab nations similarly rejected Trump’s earlier proposal for Gaza this month, which had sparked widespread outrage across the region.
Signs of AI-generated imagery in the video range from subtle to overtly absurd, further fueling criticism over its tone-deaf portrayal of Gaza’s plight. The post adds another layer of controversy to Trump’s recent statements about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which have drawn intense scrutiny both domestically and internationally.
As tensions remain high in Gaza following weeks of violence and displacement, the video has been widely condemned as trivializing the suffering of millions in the region while stoking further political discord.
