President Donald Trump’s fanciful plan for Gaza will not happen; still his wacky vision actually undermines legitimate efforts to improve relations in the Mideast, with Israel’s Arab partners like Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia looking for the exits.

Listening to everything that Trump spun Tuesday during three different public appearances, he doesn’t want a U.S. invasion, seizure, occupation and colonization of the Gaza Strip, forcing out close to 2 million Palestinians and imposing foreign rule over a resenting and resisting population.

Rather, Trump sees a much more benign real estate deal: “If we can get a beautiful area to resettle people permanently in nice homes and where they can be happy.” Only then, would the U.S. come into the totally empty Strip and rebuild it as an international destination, maybe like the Vegas Strip or a Singapore on the Mediterranean. Gaza’s 25 miles of beachfront property would rival Miami or Monte Carlo.

Under his idea, everyone would be happy and of the former Gazans voluntarily heading to Jordan, Egypt and elsewhere, “I would think that they would be thrilled to do it.” No one would be forcibly displaced, “I think if they had the opportunity, they’d love (it).”

That’s the real Trump, a New York real estate promoter. He doesn’t want troops, but split-level ranches for Palestinians in new subdivisions and high rents in a refurbished Gaza. Still for all his pleasant dreams, it’s a dead letter.

Neither the Jordanians nor Egyptians want the Palestinians and we don’t anticipate anyone else putting out a welcome. And the people in Gaza don’t want to leave, despite the fact that “the Gaza Strip has been a hellhole for people living there. It’s been horrible,” says Trump.

He painted an image of a “good, fresh, beautiful piece of land and make it nice and make it habitable and enjoyable and make it a home.” He has the financing all arranged as well, for both the new homes for Palestinians and the sparkling new Gaza Strip, eying the Saudis, the United Arab Emirates and other Gulf states.

To Trump, it’s a win, win, win, better for Palestinians, better for the region, better for the world and only Trump can make it happen.

During his expounding of his view of a new Middle East, the president lamented, “They will never give me a Nobel Peace Prize. It’s too bad. I deserve it, but they will never give it to me.”

It reminds us of the time decades ago when Trump visited the Daily News with his model for his proposed Television City on the old rail yards on the Upper West Side laid out on a large conference table. He wanted to erect the world’s tallest building, 150 floors, amid a group of new residential and commercial towers.

When there were questions about heights and zoning, Trump said no problem and reached over, picking up the tallest building and moving to a different spot on the model, rearranging the layout on the fly. He had it all figured out. Of course, Television City never happened and the world’s tallest building was never built.

Enough with the map musings. Trump needs to get serious for a real path forward for Gaza and the whole Middle East.

_____

©2025 New York Daily News. Visit at nydailynews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.