Trump's AI video on Gaza triggers sharp criticism

Skyscrapers, yachts, a golden statue of Donald Trump: An AI-generated video on Trump's channels is attracting criticism - even from his own supporters. What's behind it?

The war-torn Gaza Strip as a modern seaside resort, dominated by a golden Trump statue: A video apparently created with the help of artificial intelligence (AI) was published on the official social media accounts of US President Donald Trump , which spread quickly on Wednesday and sparked sharp criticism. On the online service Instagram, the 33-second video clip had been viewed more than 10.5 million times by Wednesday morning (local time).

The AI ​​video "Gaza 2025 What's Next?" contains numerous provocative scenes. It begins by showing children on a road strewn with rubble that leads out of a tunnel onto a beach with palm trees, skyscrapers, sailing yachts and an oversized golden Trump statue. Later, children dance under a shower of banknotes and hold a golden Trump balloon in their hands. Trump advisor and billionaire Elon Musk and his Tesla cars also appear several times in the clip.

In another particularly bizarre scene, bearded men in bikini tops and long skirts dance on the beach. They wear green headbands similar to those worn by Hamas fighters. Other scenes show Trump dancing with a woman in a nightclub; and Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sitting shirtless by a pool drinking cocktails. The AI ​​video is accompanied by a song that says, among other things, "Donald is coming to free you (...). No more tunnels, no more fear: Trump Gaza is finally here." You can watch the video here .

"This is a fantasy," said Ahmed al-Soufi, the mayor of Rafah, to the New York Times. Rafah is a city in the south of the Gaza Strip where a large number of displaced people live in tents amidst rubble. "If Mr. Trump wants to give the Palestinians a place to live in dignity and a future, he must give them a state alongside Israel ," said the mayor.

"The video posted on President Trump's social media calling for the ethnic cleansing of Gaza is not only arrogant and disrespectful, but also violates international law and human rights," said Mustafa Barghouti, a Palestinian opposition politician in the West Bank , in a statement quoted by the Washington Post.

The terrorist organization Hamas, which currently controls the Gaza Strip, condemned the video as "disgraceful." "We strongly condemn the disgraceful video released by US President Donald Trump, which contains unethical scenes that violate the customs, morals and traditions of our Palestinian people," said Ismail al-Thawabta, director of the Hamas-run state media office.

The video also drew harsh criticism from many people on social media - even on Trump's own Truth Social network. One Truth Social user wrote: "I couldn't be a bigger supporter of President Trump, but this particular video is very tasteless. Very tasteless indeed!" Another wrote: "I hate this. I love our president, but this is awful."

The clip was probably particularly unpopular with his Christian supporters. Several comments pointed to the worship of the golden statue, with users calling it "terrifying" and "100 percent wrong." Others complained about the scene in which Trump is seen alone with a belly dancer in a nightclub in front of a crowd. Many users wondered whether Trump had published the video himself or whether his account had been hacked.

The video remains published on Trump's accounts despite questions and criticism from his supporters. The White House has not yet responded to inquiries from several US media outlets about the video.

The question that arises is: What is the point? Trump is flooding the world with news, much of it of considerable consequence, at least at first glance.