'Ethnic cleansing' or 'Make Gaza Beautiful Again'?: Trump’s Middle East decree divides MAGA faithful

Donald Trump left Republicans and Democrats divided after announcing his brazen plan to “take over” the Gaza Strip and, in doing so, transform it from a “hell hole” to the “Riviera of the Middle East”.

The president has been met with a mixture of support, dissent and outright confusion after Tuesday’s remarks in a White House press conference that even surprised Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Without ruling out military intervention, Trump declared that the U.S. will “own” the war-torn territory, which has seen vast destruction and around 47,000 deaths in the 15-month conflict between Israel and Hamas. He also suggested millions of displaced Palestinians resettle in “areas where the leaders currently say no.”

By some, Trump has been accused of propagating the idea of “ethnic cleansing” while several of his MAGA faithful have praised his plans to “Make Gaza Beautiful Again”.

Here are the key reactions to Trump’s divisive comments from lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle.

Republicans

“Let’s turn Gaza into Mar-A-Lago,” South Carolina Representative Nancy Mace boldly declared, suggesting the construction of something that resembles Trump’s resort in Palm Beach, Florida.

Her comments mirror a raft of conservative congressional Republicans throwing their support behind the president’s proposition.

Trump’s Secretary of State Marco Rubio, tweeted: “Gaza MUST BE FREE from Hamas. As @POTUS shared today, the United States stands ready to lead and Make Gaza Beautiful Again. Our pursuit is one of lasting peace in the region for all people.”

House Speaker Mike Johnson wrote on X that Trump “took bold action in hopes of achieving lasting peace in Gaza,” adding he hopes the president will bring “much needed stability and security to the region”.

While Georgia Representative Taylor Greene tweeted that “America will be the beacon of PEACE for the world.” The conservative firebrand added: “It’s time to change the Middle East in pursuit of ending endless war, and this is EXACTLY how it’s done!”

New York Representative Claudia Tenney even declared that “no one is more deserving” of the Nobel Peace Prize than Donald Trump for his work in the Middle East across both terms.

While some GOP lawmakers reveled in the news, others were more reluctant to publicly back Trump’s plans for the devastated enclave.

"There's probably a couple of kinks in that slinky,” North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis told reporters after the press conference.

Missouri Senator Josh Hawley, who is considered a staunch ally of the president, told Fox News: “I don't know that I think it's the best use of United States resources to spend a bunch of money in Gaza, I think maybe I'd prefer that to be spent in the United States first.”

Speaking to Politico, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, said: “I think we're obviously all interested in facilitating a solution to the Middle East, particularly with the whole situation in Gaza. How we best achieve that I think is still – it’s a subject of conversation, sounds like he's got an idea on that.”

While South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham suggested that the U.S.’s “Arab friends” may have cause for concern. He added: “I think most South Carolinians would probably not be excited about sending Americans to take over Gaza. I think that might be problematic, but I’ll keep an open mind.”

Democrats

Democrats were more vocal in their disdain, with some calling the president “crazy” and others suggesting he’s “totally lost” the plot.

Michigan Representative Rashida Tlaib tweeted: “This president is openly calling for ethnic cleansing while sitting next to a genocidal war criminal. He’s perfectly fine cutting off working Americans from federal funds while the funding to the Israeli government continues flowing.”

Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal labeled Trump “crazy” and his plans “catastrophic”. He continued: “In consequences for all sides, it’s deeply destructive – indeed, just to suggest it – threatening progress toward peace & stability, sustaining & expanding the Abraham Accords, & returning hostages.”

Senator Chris Murphy claimed “he's totally lost it,” adding: “A U.S. invasion of Gaza would lead to the slaughter of thousands of U.S. troops and decades of war in the Middle East. It’s like a bad, sick joke."

Murphy later added: It’s been a long day full of a ton of bulls**t. So I’m pouring myself a drink and going live on @instagram…”

“Immoral and absurd. A president who has completely lost his grip on reality. This is ethnic cleansing,” said Virginian Representative Don Beyer on Trump’s comments about Gazans being resettled.

Hamas, world leaders and other political figures

Speaking to Reuters, Senior Hamas Oficial Sami Abu Zuhri, said: “We consider them (Trump’s proposition) a recipe for generating chaos and tension in the region because the people of Gaza will not allow such plans to pass.”

??“The American racist stance aligns with the Israeli extreme right’s position in displacing our people and eliminating our cause,” Hamas spokesperson, Abdel Latif al-Qanou, said in a statement, told the Agence France-Presse news agency.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Tuesday that his nation’s position remains “the same as it was this morning, as it was last year”. He added: The Australian government supports on a bipartisan basis a two-state solution.”

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said Wednesday that Trump's plans to resettle Palestinians elsewhere and take over war-ravaged Gaza “makes no sense”.

Britain’s Foreign Minister David Lammy said: "On the issue of Gaza, Donald Trump is right. Looking at those scenes of Palestinians who have been horrendously displaced over so many months of war, it's clear that Gaza is lying in rubble.”

“Donald, this looks like the beginning of a beautiful friendship,” said Israel’s former security minister Itamer Ben Gvir.

The Green Party’s 2024 U.S. presidential candidate Jill Stein wrote: “Donald Trump proposes to take over the Gaza strip, build a ‘Riviera of the Middle East’, forcibly relocate Palestinians. Won't rule out sending US troops. Democrats gave us genocide. Republicans give us ethnic cleansing/genocide. A pox on both their houses.”

The Chinese foreign ministry said it opposed the forced transfer of Palestinian citizens and reaffirmed support for the two-state solution.