Tuesday evening sparked a wave of criticism and concern from both political parties following President Donald Trump’s announcement that the United States plans to “take over the Gaza Strip.”
Senator Lindsey Graham, a Republican from South Carolina, described the idea as “problematic,” mentioning that he doubts his constituents would support sending U.S. troops to take control of Gaza.
“We’ll have to see the reaction from the Arab world, but you can bet there are multiple challenges with this,” Graham remarked.
Senator Tim Kaine, a Democrat from Virginia, condemned the proposal, labeling it “deranged” and “crazy,” and described a U.S. military presence in the area as “a recipe for trouble.”
“I have no clue where this idea originated, but I can assure you… it won’t gain much support from either Democrats or Republicans around here,” said Kaine, who serves on the Foreign Relations Committee.
Senator Thom Tillis from North Carolina responded with a bit of humor, saying there were “a few kinks in that slinky.”
When asked to clarify, he said, “It’s clearly not feasible. I can’t imagine a scenario where this would even make sense, including for Israel. If Israel requests U.S. assistance to ensure Hamas never repeats their actions, I’m all in. But us taking over? That’s a stretch.”
Trump’s announcement came after a bilateral meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House. He declared that the U.S. aims to take “long-term ownership” of the conflict-stricken Gaza Strip, suggesting earlier that Palestinians wouldn’t have a choice and wouldn’t want to return following the Israel-Hamas conflict.
“We’ll make it ours. We plan to take over, develop the region, and create numerous jobs, turning it into something for the Middle East to be proud of,” Trump stated about Gaza, envisioning it as “the Riviera of the Middle East.”
Netanyahu described the move as potentially “historical” and one that could be “worthy of consideration.”
Senator Chris Coons, a Democrat from Delaware, responded with shock, visibly taken aback by Trump’s comments.
“You can note that I was speechless,” said Coons, a member of the Foreign Relations Committee. “This is madness. I can’t imagine a place more likely to reject American troops with less hope of a positive outcome.”
Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, the leading Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee, pointed out that the proposal neglects Palestinian concerns. When asked if this was something America could handle securely, she replied, “I don’t think it’s in our national interest.”
Representative Rashida Tlaib, a Democrat from Michigan and the only Palestinian American in Congress, was more direct in her criticism.
She described the proposal as “ethnic cleansing” and “fanatical nonsense” in a post on X.
The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding lawmakers’ reactions on Tuesday night.
However, some congressional Republicans expressed support for Trump’s statement.
Representatives Nancy Mace from South Carolina and Richard Hudson from North Carolina, both members of the House Republican Israel Caucus, showed their backing.
“President Trump is relentless in pursuing historic and lasting PEACE!” Hudson wrote on X.
“Let’s transform Gaza into Mar-A-Lago,” Mace posted.
