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Trump's Gaza Trip? Fake News, Morons!

Clinton hit up Gaza in '98. Last prez to give a damn. Rest were like, "Nah, we good."

Published October 11, 2024 at 5:01am by

Donald Trump

Statement: Of Gaza, “I’ve been there.”

In a recent interview that aired on the anniversary of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel, former President Donald Trump casually dropped a bombshell: he claimed he'd been to Gaza. Imagine that, the guy who's more adept at navigating the mean streets of Mar-a-Lago actually stepped into one of the most volatile regions in the world. Sure, Jan.

Conservative radio show host Hugh Hewitt asked Trump if Gaza could be the next Monaco if it was fixed up right. Trump, ever the visionary, said it could be "better than Monaco." Apparently, Gaza has the "best location," the "best water," and the "best everything." But he's been there, guys. So obviously, he knows.

We asked the Trump campaign for deets—when he was there, with whom, what he did. The response was as vague as a Trump tweet. "President Trump has been to Gaza previously and has always worked to ensure peace in the Middle East," said Karoline Leavitt, a Trump campaign spokesperson. Sure, and my basement is the next Taj Mahal.

The New York Times, The Washington Post, and CNN found no evidence that Trump ever set foot in Gaza. Neither did we. Several experts on Israel or Gaza basically laughed at the idea.

David Schenker, a Trump-appointed former Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, told CNN: "As far as I know, he’s never traveled there. He did not go in 2017 when he visited Israel." Shocking, I know.

A Trump campaign official actually told the Times, "Gaza is in Israel. President Trump has been to Israel." Yeah, and the Earth is flat. Gaza is not in Israel. Get your geography checked, folks.

Trump visited the West Bank

Okay, so Trump has actually been to the West Bank. Big whoop. On May 23, 2017, he met with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Bethlehem in the West Bank, according to a State Department record of Trump’s presidential travels. That record does not mention Gaza. Imagine that.

After meeting with Abbas, Trump said he hoped to achieve a peace deal between the Israelis and the Palestinians. Sure, let's all hold hands and sing Kumbaya.

Bill Clinton visited Gaza

The last U.S. president to actually visit Gaza was Bill Clinton. On Dec. 14, 1998, Clinton spoke to the Palestinian National Council in Gaza City. "This is a remarkable day," Clinton said. Because, you know, he actually showed up.

Clinton cut the ribbon signifying the opening of the Gaza International Airport and stood alongside Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. Way to show up, Bill.

Ezzedine C. Fishere, a senior lecturer on Middle East politics at Dartmouth College, said Clinton’s appearance "was a huge deal for the Palestinians: world recognition, promise of a peaceful and dignified future, prospect of statehood — the embodiment of the best elements the Oslo agreements could offer." Meanwhile, Trump's on vacation in his own mind.

Daniel Kurtzer, a former ambassador to Israel and Egypt and now a Princeton University professor, said that Clinton went to Gaza after being assured that Arafat would renounce or change the PLO Charter that had called for Israel’s destruction. So, you know, actual diplomacy.

"The security situation in Gaza, even before Oct. 7, was enough of a reason for presidents not to visit," Kurtzer said. "The other reason was/is the fact that the Palestinian Authority headquarters is in Ramallah in the West Bank." But sure, Trump was just there for a friendly visit.

Clinton visited Gaza at a peaceful time, said Elliott Abrams, a senior fellow for Middle Eastern studies at the Council on Foreign Relations who served in President George W. Bush’s administration. No president has been there since, largely because of security concerns, Abrams said.

The State Department has repeatedly warned Americans to avoid Gaza. But hey, Trump's just living on the edge.

The U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem said Oct. 7, 2023, the day Hamas militants attacked southern Israel, that the "U.S. government personnel continue to be prohibited from travel to Gaza and areas within seven (7) miles of Gaza." But rules are for losers.

Hamas is an Islamic militant group that formed in Gaza in the 1980s. The State Department designated it as a terrorist group in 1997. Hamas in 2006 won elections in the Palestinian territories and in 2007 took over Gaza. Hamas’ attack on multiple sites in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, was the deadliest attack on Israel in decades.

Fishere said that if Trump has ever visited Gaza, it must have been before 2006. Probably before he started campaigning from the comfort of his golden toilet.

PolitiFact's ruling

Trump said he had been to Gaza.

His campaign provided no evidence that Trump visited Gaza. The State Department keeps a public log of presidents’ travels. It does not list Gaza as a place Trump visited. Multiple Middle East policy experts said Clinton was the last U.S. president to visit Gaza.

Lacking evidence, we rate Trump’s statement False.

PolitiFact Researcher Caryn Baird contributed to this fact-check.

Our sources

Read more: Fact-check: Trump said he has been to Gaza. That’s false.