US President Donald Trump didn’t commit to sending troops to Gaza – but he also did not rule anything out – because, according to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, the president is “very good” when negotiating and wants to preserve that leverage.
At least that’s what she told the reporters who hounded her in the briefing room on Wednesday afternoon following Trump’s bombshell announcement Tuesday about the US taking control of the Gaza Strip and turning it into the “Riviera of the Middle East.”
So, while Trump said the US is taking ownership of Gaza, Leavitt clarified the US is not going to pay for it.
“His administration is going to work with our partners in the region to reconstruct this region. And let me just take a step back here because this is an out-of-the-box idea,” Leavitt said. “That’s who President Trump is. That’s why the American people elected him, and his goal is lasting peace in the Middle East for all people in the region.”
Leavitt reiterated that it’s been made clear to Trump that the US needs to be involved in the rebuilding effort to ensure stability for all people.
“That does not mean boots on the ground in Gaza. It does not mean American taxpayers will be funding this effort,” she added. “It means Donald Trump, who is the best deal maker on the planet, is going to strike a deal with our partners in the region.”
When pressed again to rule out American troops in Gaza, Leavitt said Trump “has not made that commitment.”
Trump's plans with American partners in the region
According to Leavitt, Trump’s been vocal about this plan with America’s partners in the region, particularly pushing Egypt and Jordan to temporarily accept Palestinian refugees “so we can rebuild their homes.”
She called Gaza an “inhabitable place” for human beings.
“Do you really think that families can live their dream in a region that looks like this with no running water, no electricity?” she asked. “The president made this decision with a humanitarian heart for all people in the region.”
Leavitt refused to answer if Gazans who want to stay in the enclave would be permitted to do so.
She also did not answer if the US is prepared to remove Palestinians from Gaza by force.