Even ardent Donald Trump supporters on Truth Social have been left in shock after the president of the United States of America posted a bizarre AI-generated video that appears to shows his vision to rebrand Gaza as a luxury resort dubbed Trump Gaza.
The video shows a Dubai-inspired resort with skyscrapers and luxury yachts, gold statues of Trump that would make Turkmenistan's Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov blush and Teslas in the streets. A boy holds a golden balloon of Trump's head, money rains from the sky and bearded bellydancers perform on the beachfront. The video also shows Trump ogling a belly dancer and drinking cocktails with Israeli president Benjamin Netanyahu, while Elon Musk is shown eating flat bread.
Even on Truth Social, a platform created by Trump and mainly used by Trump supporters, responses range from shock and disbelief to disgust. But the video is totally on brand.
If the video appeared anywhere else, we would conclude that it was intended as parody. And perhaps it was originally. The video, which includes a rap about Trump Gaza as its soundtrack, does not appear to have been made by the White House. It appeared on other unrelated accounts before Trump himself posted it on Truth Social. But whatever the original intention, Trump appears to have decided that it represents his brand accurately. And he would be right.
The gaudy and narcissistic wannabe dictator symbolism shown in the video is totally in line with initiatives Trump has plugged before, from peddling watches to supporters to those cringeworthy NFT trading cards that depicted Trump as a superhero. What makes the AI Gaza video on Truth Social more unsettling is the disrespect it shows to the people of Gaza amid the huge loss of life amid the conflict with Israel.
Trump may not see that as a barrier to his brand, but it seems that even some of his strongest supporters may do. Truth Social users have blasted the video, particularly Christians, who see the Trump statues as idolatry.
“The statue is a symbol of the antichrist, please humble yourself to God. Jesus is king and only Him,” one person wrote. "This feels all wrong and actually makes me sick. I have supported you since Day 1 but this is filth. There is no God in this," another person wrote.
"I am a true fan of DJT, but I find this very insensitive to be released on a very sad day like today: the funeral for the beautiful Bibas family who were killed in Gaza," was another opinion. "This portrayal of Elon and our President living it up in a place that is suffering so terribly now is just unfathomable," another person wrote. "This lack of judgment erodes confidence in the highest office of our land".
