When Donald Trump purchased Mar-a-Lago, it was long after it had been abandoned as the president’s “Winter White House,” for which it was originally built and donated to the US government. The government had sold it and Trump acquired it for his brand, at a bargain price, several decades before he launched his political career. He turned it from a distressed piece of real estate into a successful commercial property that was also his home—and eventually made it fulfill its original purpose.
This winter, Trump has said the United States is going to “own” Gaza and “do a job” there. As with all things Trump, it’s either his sincere intention, or the opening gambit of a negotiating position. Unlike other similar pronouncements, this wasn’t an off-the-cuff comment, but prepared remarks read from written notes at the podium of a press conference.
Mere weeks into his second term, Trump meant to take personal responsibility for resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Though it shocked the world, this was clearly a deliberately crafted proposal made with his team. Benjamin Netanyahu’s strained smile showed he was not surprised but knew ahead of time—and was not exactly happy with it.