The filmmaker behind the controversial AI-generated video “Trump Gaza” has spoken out about its original intent, after it was shared by Donald Trump himself without any explanation.
The video, which has left people completely baffled, depicts a war-ravaged Gaza transforming into a high-end resort, complete with skyscrapers and beachside luxury. Trump is seen lounging with a topless Benjamin Netanyahu while Elon Musk is eating from what appears to be a cheesy bread bowl, close to a nearby beach.
The surreal clip quickly went viral, sparking a wave of reactions across social media.
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Solo Avital, the LA-based filmmaker who created the video, originally made it as a piece of political satire. Speaking to BBC News, he explained that it was meant to mock what he called a ‘megalomaniac idea’ after Trump proposed turning Gaza into the “Riviera of the Middle East.”
Avital said: “We are storytellers, we’re not provocateurs, we sometimes do satire pieces such as this one was supposed to be”.
He added: “This is the duality of the satire: it depends what context you bring to it to make the punchline or the joke. Here there was no context and it was posted without our consent or knowledge.”
Avital, who co-runs the visuals company EyeMix with filmmaker Ariel Vromen, initially created the video while experimenting with AI tools. After sharing it privately among friends, Vromen briefly posted it on Instagram before taking it down, fearing it might be “a little insensitive.”
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The clip, however, somehow made its way to Trump, who shared it on his Truth Social platform on February 26 as shown above, leaving many confused about whether it was serious or satire.
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Avital only realized how far the video had spread when he woke up to thousands of messages.
He commended: “If it was the skit for Saturday Night Live the whole perception of this in the media would be the opposite – look how wild this president is and his ideas, everyone would think it’s a joke”.
The situation has raised wider concerns about the power of AI-generated media, with experts warning how easily digital content can be manipulated and repurposed. Hany Farid, a professor at UC Berkeley specializing in deepfakes, pointed out that this is just the beginning.
Farid said: “There’s no such thing as ‘I just shared with a friend.’ You make something, assume you don’t have control”.
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While Avital sees AI as a huge opportunity for creatives, he acknowledges the potential dangers: “This tech is being used to create child sexual abuse material, non-consensual intimate imagery, hoaxes, conspiracies, lies that are dangerous to democracies.”
As AI tools continue to evolve, the debate over their impact on social media, politics, and truth itself is only getting started.