Donald Trump posts 'alarming' AI video of Gaza as beach resort with golden statue of himself
Donald Trump has posted a bizarre video of a future Gaza after arguing he would create an "economic development that will supply unlimited numbers of jobs"
Donald Trump has shared a bizarre AI video sharing his vision to turn Gaza into a beach resort complete with a giant golden statue of himself in the heart of a revitalised city devoid of traces of Palestinian culture.
The US president stoked controversy with a brazen clip that shows the bombed out territory being transformed into a gaudy seaside resort complete with tacky gold Trump merchandise and hotels bearing his name where he and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu chill in their swimming trunks by the pool. Startling moments in the video include Elon Musk being showered with money and a massive golden statue of the US president being erected in the heart of the city.
In the 33-second clip titled "Gaza 2025: What's Next?" shared to his social media platform TruthSocial Mr Trump's controversial vision for the Palestinian territory is laid bare for all to see. The clip begins with an AI depiction of a Palestinian boy running away from Hamas militants and through rubble in a bombed-out street in the Strip.
But just moments into the clip, cranes and building works can be seen going up around the destroyed city before a woman and two children walk out of a tunnel toward a revitalised high rise district. Streets are then seen lined with palm trees and flashy cars with bustling streets filled with market stalls.
Billionaire Elon Musk is then seen gleefully tucking into a humus dip with some flat bread while bearded men dressed in the AI's depiction of colourful Middle Eastern dresses dance on the beach. Feeding into Mr Trump's ego, a boy is seen standing in the middle of a street while holding a golden balloon of the US President's head.
The video then reveals coastal shots making Gaza appear incredibly similar to glorified depictions of Dubai. Moments later Mr Musk is seen being showered with American dollars while a beachside crowd applauds him.
The video then concludes with depictions of a hotel bearing the name "Trump Gaza," a nod to his many properties across the globe. A huge golden statue of the president is later seen in a roundabout before the video reveals Trump-related merchandise being sold in market places as he and Mr Netanyahu relax in their swimming trunks next to a pool.
The clip has been viewed over 1 million times over multiple accounts since being shared on TruthSocial early on Wednesday morning. Ben Jamal, director of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign told The Mirror: "Trump reposting this grotesque video makes clear what values inform the world he wants to bring into being: a world which erases an entire people and their fundamental rights, and turns their homeland into a playground for the rich and the perpetrators of genocide. As Keir Starmer jets off to shake Trump’s hand he faces a stark choice - appeasement of a racist who wishes to overturn a rules-based international order or assertion of fundamental principles of rights and justice."
Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, a native Gazan and resident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, an international affairs think tank, condemned the TruthSocial post, adding: "This video, just shared by President Trump, is alarming and makes a mockery of all serious plans to change & transform Gaza. AI-generated illusions of golden grandeur are the last thing needed to promote meaningful change. Gaza doesn't need casinos; it needs effective governance."
Nebraska State Senator Megan Hunt posted on X/Twitter: "Trump sees Gaza not as a home to millions of human beings, but as an empty plot of land for his next branding project. The lives of Palestinians mean nothing to him—they are simply an obstacle to be bulldozed over for casinos, golf courses, and beachfront resorts. Sick person."
Many online condemned the clip with X/Twitter account @JohntheLyricist branding it "disgusting, even by Trump standards." Account @Ophelia574 added: "Just showed this to an Egyptian colleague. Her reply would suspend my account." While @Marianne Thorn posted: "I have just started rereading George Orwell's 1984. Somehow everything seems so close to reality. It is really scary."
Republican Mr Trump will likely face a substantial backlash from Palestinian organisations as well as from US critics who do not want the US to become embroiled in overseas conflicts. The US president sparked significant backlash earlier this month during a press conference with Mr Netanyahu, where he told reporters at a White House press conference: "The US will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it too."
He continued: "We’ll own it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous unexploded bombs and other weapons on the site, level the site, and get rid of the destroyed buildings, level it out, create an economic development that will supply unlimited numbers of jobs.”
Mr Trump's comments proved controversial with his harshest critics claiming they amounted to ethnic cleansing. His supporters however argued that it is a bold plan that is being offered while the current situation satisfies neither the Israelis or Palestinians.