The reason behind Trump’s AI Gaza video

Donald Trump really knows how to wind up his political opponents. That has to be the only rational explanation behind his decision to share on social media a video — apparently AI-generated — of what a US-owned Gaza Strip could look like in the future. It is thirty-five seconds of unadulterated visual idiocy, veering from the bizarre to the senseless. Why do it? What is the point, exactly?

The video starts with the territory in ruins after the war with Israel, with the caption “Gaza 2025… What’s next?” The president is shown sharing a cocktail, topless and poolside, with the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. These are not flattering shots by any stretch of the imagination. The video features plenty of Elon Musk, the tech billionaire charged with rooting out government inefficiencies, and an ever-present figure in the Trump entourage. Musk is depicted eating hummus and throwing wads of cash in the air. He looks unconvincingly svelte: AI clearly hasn’t seen Musk in real life. The rebuilt land also features a “Trump Gaza” hotel, and children are seen holding golden balloons adorned with Trump’s face. Also on display is a huge (yes, golden) statue of the American president. It is safe to say that the image does not exactly flatter Trump, who looks distinctly obese.

The video also features a song praising Trump, with the somewhat excruciating lyrics: “Donald is coming to set you free, bringing the light for all to see / No more tunnels, no more fear, Trump Gaza is finally here.” Just as bizarre is the footage of bearded belly dancers. Why are they there? The AI version of Trump is seen boogying with a non-bearded belly dancer. It has not been made clear — so far at least — how, and when, belly dancers became an integral part of Trump’s Gaza reconstruction plans. Did Trump, known for having a short attention span, even watch this video in its entirety?

Others — predictably enough — see in this latest episode signs that Trump is once again eager to display his contempt for established political norms and basic civilities. Doesn’t Trump, demand his detractors, know about the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza? This is almost as batty in its po-faced condescension. Trump is someone who exists on social media. Posting videos is what he does. He did not comment on the video after sharing it. Maybe, just maybe, it’s nothing more than one more social media post made by Trump, soon to be replaced by countless other posts and commentary. People are entitled to expect better of the man occupying the Oval Office but that doesn’t mean Trump has to oblige.

It may just be possible that there is method behind the Trump “madness.” Few believe that his plans for Gaza, including the transfer of Palestinians out of the territory, are realistic. His talk of dismantling all the dangerous unexploded bombs and other weapons in Gaza, levelling the place, and turning it into a US-owned “riviera of the Middle East” is just that — all talk. His ideas have been greeted with outright hostility from neighboring Egypt and Jordan. These countries have no intention of taking in more Palestinians, pointing out that it would merely perpetuate a regional cycle of violence. Britain and other supporters of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict are also strongly opposed.

Yet what Trump has succeeded in doing is making the Arab nations of the Middle East focus afresh on finding workable plans of their own for the future of Gaza. Last weekend, the leaders of seven Arab countries held talks in Saudi Arabia on the way forward. The Arab states are set to unveil further details of their thinking on Gaza at a meeting in the Egyptian capital Cairo early next month. This is the context in which Trump’s online sharing of the Gaza video should be seen. The attention of millions of people worldwide has been engaged by this strange, rather mad computer-generated fantasy vision of a future Gaza. It’s got everyone thinking about the issue afresh. That can’t be all bad.