President Donald Trump shared an AI-generated video on Truth Social Tuesday night depicting a radically transformed Gaza strip, reimagined as a luxury resort with gold and bearing his name. One scene shows Trump alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, both shirtless and lounging poolside.
The video, which circulated widely on platforms including Instagram, X and LinkedIn, begins by showing the war-ravaged streets of Gaza before morphing into a beachfront paradise. The video has been met with widespread condemnation, particularly among Palestinians and the broader Arab community, many of whom had already disagreed with Trump’s controversial February proposal to relocate Gaza’s Palestinian population to neighboring countries such as Jordan and Egypt.
Student reactions to the video have been mixed. While some supporters viewed it as an aspirational vision for reconstruction, critics saw it as an oversimplification of a complex crisis.
Scott Hills, a sophomore studying journalism, expressed his frustration with the video.
“I feel like we can’t put anything past him,” Hills said. “We’ve seen him approach severe situations like this with such immaturity. That’s just what it feels like to me, and honestly, blatant disrespect for anyone involved.”
Trump’s February proposal called for the mass relocation of Gazans under the context that their homeland had become uninhabitable, which was met with mixed reviews by Arab leaders and human rights organizations as well as backlash from the USC community.
Laurie Brand, an international relations and Middle East studies professor at USC Dornsife, did not hold back in her criticism.
“It’s shocking that somebody would make something like that, but it’s even more shocking that a leader of a country would choose to put that on a social media platform and send it out,” Brand said. “More broadly, I found it to be vulgar. It’s disgusting, it’s racist, and therefore, just extremely upsetting.”
The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in political messaging has been a growing concern, particularly when it comes to deepfakes, manipulated media and misleading imagery. The Gaza video raises ethical and practical concerns about the role of artificial intelligence in shaping public perception.
Corrine Hyde, a clinical education professor at USC Rossier, highlighted the problems that could arise from AI use in politics.
“We are at a real critical turning point media wise because it is becoming more and more difficult for the average person to be able to tell this is something that is true or entirely made up,” Hyde said.
The rapid advancement of AI technology has prompted discussions on the need for regulations and transparency in political media. As AI-generated content becomes more sophisticated, concerns about misinformation and ethical considerations continue to grow.
“We have to think about AI on a global level…it’s not as simple as one country making regulations,” Hyde said.