(NewsNation) — White House damage control efforts following President Donald Trump’s suggestion the U.S. take control of war-torn Gaza is a repeat of the way policy was sometimes turbulently vetted in Trump’s first term, NewsNation’s Chris Stirewalt says.
Trump on Tuesday said he favored taking over the home of 2 million Palestinians, who would be relocated so that the property could become “the Riveria of the Middle East.” The idea was condemned in several quarters, notably in Saudi Arabia, which rejected the idea of displacing Palestinians.
Stephen A. Smith: Trump ‘like a Realtor’ on Gaza ownership
On Wednesday, Trump representatives appeared to soften the concept, saying Trump hasn’t committed the military and that Palestinians would not be sent away for good.
“We remember this from Trump 1.0,” Stirewalt told NewsNation colleague Elizabeth Vargas. “Trump says we’re taking all the troops out of Syria, and the next day, they say, ‘Well, what the president meant to say was that we’re looking for fundamental and transformative change in this.’”
Stirewalt suggested the reality set in quickly on both sides of the aisle that Trump’s idea to enter Gaza could put U.S. troops in harm’s way and wouldn’t be free.
Trump wants to take over Gaza. How would that work?
