On Wednesday morning, President Trump posted a music video to multiple social media platforms that promoted his plan to ethnically cleanse Gaza of Palestinians and redevelop the area into a luxury resort destination.

The video, which Trump shared with millions of followers on Facebook, Instagram, and Truth Social, and begins with the caption, "Gaza 2025: What's Next." As the music swells, young children run through a tunnel as rubble transforms into palm tree lined beaches and luxury high rises.

Then things really get weird.

What follows is a montage, apparently generated with AI, that features bearded men dancing in bikinis, a giant gold statute of Trump, Elon Musk being showered with cash, the facade of a "Trump Gaza" hotel, and a shirtless Trump drinking a beer poolside with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

"No more tunnels, no more fear. Trump Gaza is finally here," someone sings to dance music. "Trump Gaza shining bright. A golden future. A shining light."

The video, which was posted anonymously before being distributed by Trump, is a classic "troll." Trump is posting something that is purposely outrageous to rile up his critics.

But Trump's plan to "clean out" Gaza by removing all Palestinians and transform the area into a luxury destination "better than Monaco" is not a joke.

"They never took advantage of it, you know, as a developer. It could be the most beautiful place, the weather, the water, the whole thing, the climate," Trump said in an October 7, 2024 interview. Since returning to the White House, he has pushed the concept repeatedly. "The U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it too," Trump said during a February 4 White House press conference alongside Netanyahu. Trump said that the United States would redevelop Gaza, while arrangements will be made for Palestinians to permanently relocate elsewhere. "We have an opportunity to do something that could be phenomenal. And I don't want to be cute. I don't want to be a wise guy. But the Riviera of the Middle East, this could be something that could be so ... magnificent," Trump concluded. Netanyahu said he supports Trump's plans.

Trump's views are echoed by his son-in-law, Jared Kushner. In a February 15, 2024, interview at Harvard's Middle East Initiative, Kushner described Gaza's "waterfront property" as "very valuable." Kushner said Israel should seek to "move people out" and then "clean it up."

Further, Kushner said that the United States should pursue "diplomacy" with Egypt to convince them to accept more Palestinians. He also indicated Jordan should accept Palestinian refugees, noting that Jordan had accepted Syrian refugees. Arab leaders are not fans of this idea.

Nevertheless, Kushner and the Trump administration are taking concrete steps to turn Trump's plan for Gaza into a reality. Speaking in Miami last week, Trump's envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, said that he had been talking with Kushner about convening a meeting of real estate developers to discuss rebuilding Gaza. "We talk about convening people together from all parts of the world, master planners and developers and architects, talking about ideas and so forth," Witkoff said while on stage with Kushner at the FII Priority Summit, which is organized by Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund, known as the Public Investment Fund (PIF). Witkoff's professional background is also in real estate development.

According to the Wall Street Journal, "Witkoff has been working on a potential plan to convene a summit at the White House that would bring together real-estate developers and other business leaders to kick off the rebuilding effort." The meeting would "include a public display, potentially with large cranes and other showy pieces of equipment."

A new level of corruption

After exiting the White House in 2021, Kushner launched a new private equity firm, Affinity Partners, and announced he was seeking to raise $7 billion. Kushner had no experience in private equity, and his most significant business experience was nearly bankrupting his family's real estate company.

Kushner raised $2 billion from PIF. The PIF committee that screens investments recommended rejecting Kushner's proposal, citing "the inexperience of the Affinity Fund management" and "excessive" fees. The committee's recommendation, however, was overruled by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS). Kushner helped MBS manage the fallout after U.S. intelligence agencies determined MBS ordered the brutal murder of U.S.-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi. To date, Kushner has raised $4.6 billion, including additional funds from Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

Kushner is on the payroll of the Saudi government and other foreign nations. He attempted to brush off concerns by pledging not to return to the White House if Trump won. But while Kushner has no formal position, Witkoff's comments illustrate that Kushner continues to play a central role in shaping policy, particularly in the Middle East.

He has already deployed some of the money he raised from Saudi Arabia to enrich Trump. Days before Trump's inauguration, Kushner partnered with his father-in-law's company, the Trump Organization, to develop a Trump-branded luxury hotel and apartment complex in Belgrade, Serbia. “We talked with ​several ​brands ​in ​the past year,” Kushner told Bloomberg in an interview. "I thought the ​tower ​would ​make a tremendous Trump Tower, ​so I spoke to ​Eric ​[Trump] about it, and he was ​very ​excited. So we’ll be bringing them in as ​our hotel partner.”

The Belgrade deal shows that Affinity Partners is acting as a conduit for foreign governments to funnel money to the President. The redevelopment of Gaza, financed with Kushner's foreign cash, could be an even bigger pay day for Trump.