Democratic strategist David Axelrod said President Trump’s remarks about taking over Gaza may give China ideas “as they eye Taiwan.”
On Tuesday, Trump met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu where he floated the idea of the U.S. taking over the Gaza Strip. He suggested Americans should be responsible for cleaning up and rebuilding the destructed region.
Axelrod joined CNN on Tuesday where he noted that world leaders typically don’t invade other countries because of the message it sends worldwide.
He highlighted Trump’s 2022 comment when he called Russia’s move to invade Ukraine “genius.” If another country can “roll in” and take another, why wouldn’t they do it, Axelrod asked.
“The reason you wouldn’t do it is because if everybody plays by those rules, you quickly devolve into global conflicts,” he said.
“Imagine how the Chinese interpret that as they eye Taiwan,” Axelrod continued. “If the new rule is that you can take anything you want if you have the force to take it, we are in for a very, very tough time in … the very near future.”
China has claimed that Taiwan is its own and is gearing up to potentially attack to control the island in 2027. Trump has made several comments about Taiwan, saying that it should have to pay for protection from China.
The president’s remarks about Gaza on Tuesday were some of his most extreme comments on the topic, particularly as the nearly 2 million Palestinians hope to have their own state after the Israel-Hamas war.
Trump suggested that the U.S would develop the land there, though he did not give details on who would be able to live on the land.
