Welcome to Hotel Gaza

President Trump surprised the world (again) with and out-of-the-box proposal.  This time it involves the war-torn Gaza territory.  As if it were little more than deciding where to go out for dinner, Trump dropped a HUGE idea in the middle of his press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

Prior to President Trump’s inauguration, I said to Democrats and their media allies that “You ain’t seen nothing yet.”   It was my anticipation that Trump would quickly engage in proposals, policies and actions that would have Trump Derangement Syndrome reach epidemic levels in the Progressive echo chambers.  Even I underestimated Trump’s ability to drive his most pernicious critics into a state of irrational apoplexy.

Just when they were trying to carry on their “sky is falling” response to every Trump appointment, firing, pardon, Executive Order and public statement, he drops a ton of grief on them in the form of Gaza.  Rather than continue the failed diplomatic dialogue that has produced no results for decades in the Middle East standoff, Trump decided to go bold.  and bold it was.

With Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu standing beside him at a White House press conference, Trump proposed that we bring peace to the Arab world by … (drum roll) … the United States taking over Gaza – as in owning it.  With his traditional hyperbole, Trump called for transforming Gaza into the “Riviera of the Middle East”.  That would require removing – at least temporarily – the current population of 2 million Gazans to other locations.   It was never clear whether they would or could return. Trump’s announcement ignited so much hair on the left that it is now a major cause of global warming.

As is his habit, Trump announced his proposal in a most provocative manner with few implementation details – allowing his political adversaries to spin the issue in the most extremely irrational negative terms.  In that Trump was successful – and his critics outdid themselves in losing their minds.  They said Trump would kick off a major war in the region.  Not even a hint of that happening.  They said it would disrupt the release of the hostages held by Hamas.  It did not.  They called it colonialism – which it is not.  They called it genocide – which it most certainly is not. 

I was watching the press conference when he dropped this political bunker buster in the most casual manner.  I had to actually roll back the screen to make sure I heard him correctly.  Yep!  The United States would take over Gaza – own it.  The land would be cleared and developed with beautiful homes and businesses to attract people from around the Globe – including Palestinians. (That is what he said.)

I laughed imagining the crazed responses on MSNBC and elsewhere.  Having now followed the post-announcement coverage, I was not disappointed.  The major personalities on the left are literally yelling hysterically into the cameras. 

Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, a fixture on the telly. Put on her best scolding persona to plead for national action against not only Trump policies but against Republican members of Congress. (No politician has a better – or more abrasive — schoolmarm scold than Warren).

What these folks seem to have forgotten is that their overreactions and excessive rhetoric is exactly what got Trump elected in the first place.  They do not seem to have noticed that the favorable rating of their beloved Democratic Party is an anemic 31 percent according to late January 2025 Quinnipiac University poll.  That is the lowest rating for the donkey party since Quinnipiac began polling in 2008.

Conversely, Trump’s favorable ratings are near an all-time high, with the Morning Consult poll of February 3 showing the President with a 47 percent favorable rating.  An Emerson College poll of January 28 reported a 49 percent approval rating for Trump.

Anyone who has followed Trump recognizes his provocative statements about Gaza as setting the parameter for an ongoing debate.  Any actual plan will evolve after discussions with foreign leaders … his own staff … and other stakeholders.  Some version of an eventual reconstruction plan for Gaza may include elements of Trump’s proposal – a lot or a little.  Or maybe nothing.  We have to wait to see what evolves.

What should be obvious is that if the Palestinian people are going to have peace in the future and a decent place to live, Gaza is going to have to be rebuilt.  And for that to happen, Hamas has to be eliminated. 

By all descriptions, Gaza is currently unlivable.  It seems logical that millions of Gazans can return to homes that do not exist – with non-existent infrastructure, utilities, schools, medical facilities and emergency services.  There has to be a plan and a determination of financial resources.

Contrary to the knee-jerk messaging from Democrats and the left-wing media, Trump is not heading into Gaza with guns blazing.  But he is serious about changing the nature of the negotiations.  He has made it clear that the weak and failed diplomatic methods of the past umpteen years have failed (is he wrong?) – and new approaches and ideas must emerge.  He has proposed one.  Now it is up to the naysayers to propose alternatives that do not go back to the old failed ways.

We have seen this approach before.

In Trump’s first term, the obstacle to any Palestinian agreement was the precondition for a “two state solution” – and the stumbling block for that was the Palestinians’ refusal to agree to the existence of Israel.  Trump broke with the past and took the two-state prerequisite off the table.  Consequently, he achieved the historic Abraham Accords that brought peace to Israel and several Arab nations.  It seems that Trump is using this same modus operandi in the current situation.

Trump is barely past the third week of his second term, and he has already been a very successful change agent.  He has become the disrupter he promised to be when the American voters returned him to office.  Rather than being a stand-in President for the bureaucracy, Trump is proving to be the empowered leader of the Executive Branch – just like the Founders intended.

Rather than panic – or allow the anti-Trump crazies to lead us on the path of pointless hysteria – we should remain calm and see how things unfold.  Whether the United States ever “owns” Gaza or not, I am betting Trump will find a way to bring a measure of peace to the Middle East.  There is no reason to panic.

So, there ‘tis.