The Absurd Vision: ‘Trump Gaza’ and the State of Online Discourse
At the outset, it’s crucial to acknowledge the sheer insanity of the ‘Trump Gaza’ A.I. video. The proposal it presents – resettling the inhabitants of the Gaza Strip and transforming the area into a resort – is deeply problematic. Its content, including unsettling juxtapositions like bearded belly dancers and an Elon Musk look-alike dancing on the beach alongside a golden statue of President Trump, further amplifies the absurdity. Compounding the shock, the actual president shared this video without comment on a platform called Truth Social. It’s all deeply unsettling.
While the video’s creators likely don’t envision this as a practical plan, it effectively encapsulates the worldview of a particular segment of the American population. It’s less about imagining Gaza’s future and more about how they perceive today’s internet. This represents the MAGA aesthetic distilled, where political expression is less about persuasion or idea dissemination and more about social and cultural grandstanding.
The video also features an A.I.-generated song, styled as in-flight techno. Its lyrics begin, lines like, “Donald’s coming to set you free/bringing the light for all to see/no more troubles, no more fear,” over visuals of destroyed city streets. Masked figures with assault rifles interchange between menacing and helping civilians. The visuals announce “GAZA 2025.”
Despite the initial scenes of destruction, hope seems to appear. Construction cranes emerge in the distance as the rubble remains. The video offers a jarring sequence of events, as soldiers pass through an archway to a woman and children walking through the entrance of a cave and toward a beach. Modern skyscrapers line the horizon, and the video cuts to images of golden sands, clear water, and streets filled with modern vehicles. What follows is a man who resembles Musk, and the image cuts to belly dancers. This chaotic collage ends on the chorus: “Trump Gaza, shining bright/golden future, a brand-new light/feast and dance, the deed is done/Trump Gaza, No. 1.”
The “after” portion of the video reveals a child walking down a bright boulevard with a balloon in the shape of the president’s head. Trump chats with a young woman in a casino. Money falls from the sky, and Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu drink cocktails with their shirts off by a pool near a golden statue. The production is typical of generative A.I. It’s technically proficient, but the overall effect is unsettling.
