In a bizarre press conference, former US President Donald Trump declared his intention to 'take over' the Gaza Strip and develop it for the 'entire world,' sparking concerns about his expansionist ambitions and disregard for international law.
In the White House's venerable East Room, it became clear that Trump 2.0 is entering a dangerously expansionist phase. The space, where Abraham Lincoln lay in state and Pablo Casals played cello, had turned into a mosh pit of sweaty reporters, photographers, and camera crews crammed elbow to elbow. The Guardian shoehorned its way into a corner where a panel had fallen off the wall.
This unprecedented scene unfolded as the first foreign leader to visit the White House in Trump's second term arrived. Two lecterns, two US flags, and two Israeli flags were set up before a gold curtain between two elaborate crystal lamps. Netanyahu was afforded the honor of wearing the vintage Maga uniform of a white shirt and red tie, while Trump went off-brand with a sky blue tie. Perhaps he sees a kindred scoundrel in the Israeli leader. Netanyahu has bribery, fraud, and breach of trust charges dating to 2019; Trump was convicted last year on 34 criminal counts of falsifying business records. Netanyahu has also been slapped with an arrest warrant by the international criminal court over alleged war crimes. The US president began by boasting about how he got a “beautiful” US embassy built in Jerusalem, ranting about his predecessor, and giving a shout-out to his staff. So far, so Trump. But then things turned weird. Very weird. Gaza has been “an unlucky place” for a long time, Trump mused, as if discussing a haunted house. “Being in its presence has just not been good and it should not go through a process of building and occupation by the same people that have really stood there and fought for it and lived there and died there and lived a miserable existence there.” As Netanyahu looked on, perhaps trying to restrain himself from bursting out laughing, Trump spoke of building “various domains” in other countries “with humanitarian hearts” where 1.8 million Palestinians could live instead. “This can be paid for by neighboring countries of great wealth,” he slipped in. Was this a plan or the concept of a plan? The man who once aced a cognitive test by reciting “Person. Woman. Man. Camera. TV,” rambled on: “It could be one, two, three, four, five, seven, eight, 12 – it could be numerous sites or one large site.” It would be “something really spectacular”, he promised, which is one way to describe ethnic cleansing. Then came the stunner. “The US will take over the Gaza Strip,” Trump declared, “and we’ll do a job with it, too. We’ll own it.” What? Did he say own it? And the supposedly isolationist “America first” president did not rule out sending US troops to take control. It was the latest indication that Trump seems to be entering a new and dangerously expansionist phase. At this stage eight years ago Trump 1.0 was mired in petty concerns such as lying about the size of his inauguration crowd or trying to take away Americans’ healthcare. Trump 2.0 is playing on an altogether grander stage. He said Canada should become the 51st state, prompting nervous laughter from Canadians followed by horror as it dawned that he wasn’t joking. He rattled Denmark by saying it should sell Greenland and upset Panama by vowing to retake the canal. He renamed the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America” and, He is the new Julius Caesar – “I came, I saw, I conquered,” – and has no need to fear the Ides of March having already neutered the Senate. But when the press conference reached the question and answer stage, his true motivations became clear. He said of Gaza: “We’re going to take over the place and we’re going to develop it, create thousands and thousands of jobs, and it’ll be something that the entire Middle East can be very proud of.” Of course. Ultimately he’s still that grasping property developer with a daddy complex who launched himself into Manhattan in the late 1970s with the renovation of the derelict. Asked by CNN’s Kaitlan Collins who will live in this new Trumpy utopia, he said: “I envision world people living there – the world’s people. I think you’ll make that into an international unbelievable place. I think the potential in the Gaza Strip is unbelievable and I think the entire world – representatives from all over the world will be there.” Welcome to Trumpworld: a fantasy theme park full of Trump Towers, Trump golf courses, and Maga androids. He added: “I don’t want to be cute, I don’t want to be a wise guy, but the Riviera of the Middle East.” Ah, the master of branding
DONALD TRUMP GAZA STRIP INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS MIDDLE EAST US FOREIGN POLICY EXPANSIONISM OCCUPATION
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