On Tuesday night, President Trump shared an AI-generated video depicting the destroyed Gaza Strip as a gorgeous resort decorated with his name.
It's not immediately clear where the video came from or who made it, and Trump didn't add any comments to the social media posts he shared it. Versions of the video have been featured on social media sites such as LinkedIn, X and Instagram in recent weeks. The video shared on Trump's account appears to have been downloaded from Rumble, a popular Florida-based video platform on the right.
The video was quickly diminished by many Palestinians, just as Arab countries rejected Trump's plans when they released it earlier this month.
“It's a fantasy,” said Rafa mayor Ahmed Al Sufi, a city in southern Gaza, in which the vast number of displaced people live in tents among the Ware Rub. “If Trump wants to give Palestinians dignity and a place to live in the future, he must give them a nation along with Israel.”
The video begins with a scene of gunmen, people walking through the ruins of a heavily damaged street, then quickly transitions to imagery of development, then beachside luxury. The scene shows various children holding balloons shaped like Trump's head. A big golden statue of the president. And then a man throwing money into the air on the beach.
Some signs of AI-generated images are more subtle than others. One scene shows a man resembling billionaire Elon Musk, the president's close advisor, eating bread with six fingers in one hand. Other scenes show abdominal dancer with a whisker and a green head scarf on the beach. Trump dances with women in a nightclub. And Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are sitting shirtless in the pool with drinks.
In early February, Trump proposed that the US control Gaza and permanently remove the entire Palestinian population of around 2 million in countries like Egypt and Jordan. Leaders of those countries quickly rejected the plan, and experts said that forced deportation or relocation of civilians was a violation of international humanitarian law, war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Last week, Trump appears to have admitted that his efforts to persuade Egypt and Jordan had failed, and told Fox News in an interview that he was “a little surprised” by the reactions of those countries.
“The way to do that is my plan,” he told Fox News host Brian Kilmeade. “I think that's a plan that really works. But I'm not forcing it. I'm just going to sit down and recommend it.”
He also spoke of his proposal in the past tense, saying, “I liked my plans. I thought my plans were good.”
The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the video.
The militant group Hamas has tried to demonstrate continued control of Gaza in the course of a ceasefire with Israel in recent weeks, but rejected the vision presented in Wednesday's video.
“We strongly condemn the dishonorable video issued by US President Donald Trump, which includes unethical scenes that violate the customs, morals and traditions of the Palestinian people, in the harshest terms.”
During his first term, Trump outlined the Middle East Peace Plan, which offered Palestinians the possibility of a fragmented nation with limited sovereignty. This month, the president remained vague about whether he supported the two states' solutions.
“That doesn't mean anything about two states, one state or any other state,” he said at a White House press conference.
Aaron Boxaman Reports of contributions.
