President Donald Trump’s plan to turn the devastated Gaza Strip into a luxury beach resort with his branding appears not to be dead on arrival as some suggested.
On Tuesday, Feb. 25, Trump posted on Truth Social an AI-generated video showing a beach resort bearing his name.
The New York Times described the video this way: “One scene shows a man who resembles the billionaire Elon Musk, a close adviser to the president, eating bread with six fingers on one hand. Other scenes show belly dancers with beards and green head scarves on a beach; Mr. Trump dancing with a woman at a nightclub; and Mr. Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel sitting shirtless at a pool with drinks.”
NPR described it thus: “The apparently AI-generated video includes depictions of Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sunbathing in Gaza, and imagines scenes of destruction in Gaza transformed into a glitzy Riviera-style resort called ‘TRUMP GAZA.’ The video also shows children running out of the rubble into a world of palm trees and luxury buildings, and a towering golden statue of Trump. It depicts men in apparent drag dancing in bikinis on the beach, Trump enjoying a belly dancer and a man resembling Elon Musk being showered with cash in the form of U.S. currency.”
Benjamin Cremer
Palestinians immediately decried the video as disgusting, but they were not alone in doing so. At least one Christian influencer in the United States cried foul over the proposal. Pastor Benjamin Cremer, who has a large following on social media, called Trump’s post “deeply disturbing.”
“The video depicted Gaza being transformed into a resort town bearing the name of the current president everywhere in gold and money was literally falling from the sky,” he wrote. “Making no mistake that he, his power and his money were going to claim Gaza and be its ‘savior’ for the world he envisioned. And then this giant gold statue of himself was at the center of this town.”
Even if this is a “joke” — which Cremer doubts — there’s nothing “virtuous about someone in power who spends their time joking and trolling people about the very livelihood and well-being of other human beings.”
Trump supporters should imagine the shoe being on the other foot, he advised. “The truth is, if any president from the political party many Christians opposed posted something like this, the internet would be flooded with End Times prophecies and claims that they are the ‘antichrist.’ But here we are. This is what worshiping wealth and power looks like.”
“This is just blatant, unapologetic idol worship.”
He concluded his post with this warning: “This isn’t about political ideology or political parties. This is just blatant, unapologetic idol worship.”
Just two weeks ago, Trump proposed the U.S. taking over Gaza, removing all the Palestinians living there and turning the strip of contested land into the “Riviera” of the Middle East. Netanyahu, who was standing beside him at the time, appeared surprised but later spoke favorably of the idea.
As often happens, Trump’s supporters — even among evangelical Christians — chalked this up to Trump hyperbole and did not take it seriously.
“It was not immediately clear where the video originated or who made it, and Mr. Trump did not add any comment to the social media post that shared it,” the Times reported. “Versions of the video had appeared on social media sites including LinkedIn, X and Instagram in recent weeks. The video shared on Mr. Trump’s account appeared to have been downloaded from Rumble, a Florida-based video platform popular on the right.”
NPR quoted White House spokesperson Anna Kelly saying: “As President Trump has said, Gaza in its current state is (uninhabitable) for any human being. President Trump is a visionary, and his plan to have the United States involved in Gaza’s rebuilding will allow for Palestinians to resettle in new, beautiful communities while improving conditions in the region for generations to come.”
Related articles:
Evangelical leaders appear to have no comment on Trump’s plan to take over Gaza
Yes, ‘Palestine’ is a place despite what Facebook memes may have told you | Analysis by Rodney Kennedy
How will Trump’s victory influence the Israel-Gaza conflict? | Analysis by Alan Bean