Trump's week in review: From gutting USAID to protecting women's sports

2. Vowed the US will take over Gaza 

In a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Tuesday, Trump shared his opinion that the war-ravaged Gaza Strip "should not go through a process of rebuilding and occupation by the same people that have really stood there and fought for it and lived there and died there." 

Describing the area as "unlucky" while insisting that its inhabitants have "lived a miserable existence," Trump suggested that the 1.8 million Palestinians who reside in Gaza should be resettled elsewhere in the Middle East with the assistance of "neighboring countries of great wealth."

He unveiled his vision for the "demolition site" of Gaza, asserting that "The U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it too."

Get Our Latest News for FREE

Subscribe to get daily/weekly email with the top stories (plus special offers!) from The Christian Post. Be the first to know.

Subscribe

Trump envisioned Gaza as an "economic development that will supply unlimited numbers of jobs and housing for the people of the area."

"I do see a long-term ownership position, and I see it bringing great stability to that part of the Middle East," he said.

Trump expressed confidence that his proposal would result in Gaza becoming "the Riviera of the Middle East," telling reporters, "This could be so magnificent."

Critics of the Trump administration have condemned the idea as a push to commit "ethnic cleansing" against Palestinians. Detractors of the proposal on the right have characterized the attempt to spend money on rebuilding a war-torn Middle Eastern settlement as a violation of the "America First" foreign policy that Trump campaigned on. 

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., had a different reaction to making Gaza becoming "the Riviera of the Middle East," considering it an example of "bold, decisive action."