The 'Trump Gaza' video isn't just a distraction, it's dehumanising pro-Israeli propaganda with a pedigree

No, the video shared by Trump today isn’t just a distraction—it’s a trivialization of a genocide and dehumanisation of Palestinians.

Trump’s “Trump Gaza” video is a surreal spectacle: trans Hamas belly dancers, a golden Trump balloon, a golden Trump statue, Trump ogling a belly dancer, Elon Musk throwing money at kids, and Trump and Netanyahu lounging in the sun. It’s easily one of the most unhinged things I’ve ever seen.

But it’s not the first…

Stills from the video shared by Trump

(Video shared by Trump sourced from SkyNews)

In fact, the video is strikingly similar to one produced by the Israeli Prime Minister’s office, which also pitched Gaza as a luxury resort—minus the Trump statues.

And that’s not it…

This video was part of a $1.2 million influence campaign—a Eurovision-style ‘entry’ supposedly from Qatar. The campaign, which attacked Qatar, was unattributed but aimed at mobilizing public opinion against Qatar as it mediated the Hamas-Israel talks.

Beyond a distraction

The sophomoric nature of the videos is redolent of 4chan meme warfare. The dancing, partying, and comedic elements mirror how Israeli government and military accounts have downplayed or ridiculed international outcry over Gaza’s destruction. Netanyahu’s government has frequently used sarcasm, memes, and mockery to dismiss criticism, particularly when responding to human rights concerns or UN investigations.

The video also exists to trigger opponents, discredit humanitarian concerns, and construct an alternate reality where Trump’s leadership is synonymous with dominance and self-aggrandizing spectacle (He did call himself King afterall). It’s almost like the circuses part of the ‘circuses and bread’ approach - memes and tarrifs if you will.

The video is designed to provoke outrage from the left, mainstream media, and international critics. That reaction isn’t a side effect—it’s part of the point. This feeds into the “own the libs” culture, where the goal isn’t policy or solutions, just humiliation. Indeed, Trump likes to humilitate his opponents. Outrage becomes a currency, and Trump’s ability to generate it cements his influence.

That’s not to say the Gaza as a ‘Riviera’ or ‘real-estate’ opportunity isn’t real or simply to gain engagement. On the contrary, as Trump’s crypto currency and extortion of Ukraine shows, Trump is using the presidency to line his pockets. The fact he’s willing to sell out Ukraine and its land means he probably won’t think twice about selling out Palestine to Israel. He’s said as much, despite prevaricating. However, the dehumanising, infantile propaganda just allows him to trivialise the issue - because absurdity erodes reality, and in this case, erodes morality. It’s almost as if its designed to encourage a moral nihilism through sacrilige and a moral shock doctrine - here the sacrilige being committed being the moral outrage of creating a Kingdom of Trump on a land ethnically cleansed of its inhabitants.

Trump is pushing the Overton window of acceptable political discourse, and in doing so, dehumanizing Palestinians.