Validation of Assertions: Absence of Proof for Trump's Assertion of Visiting Gaza
There isn't any concrete evidence available suggesting that Trump ever visited Gaza, which has been under the control of militant group Hamas since 2007. He never visited Gaza during his presidency, and major publications like CNN, The New York Times, and The Washington Post have found no proof of his prior visits.
Perhaps he was referring to his visit to Palestinian territory, as he did visit the West Bank in 2017? Or possibly he was just talking about the broader region?
However, Trump's campaign claimed on Monday night that he had indeed been to Gaza, asserting that the claim was genuine. Campaign spokesperson Karoline Leavitt told CNN that Trump had been to Gaza and had consistently worked towards peace in the Middle East.
Leavitt, unfortunately, failed to provide any concrete details about Trump's supposed trip to Gaza, and she did not respond to any of our repeated requests for even basic information, such as the year of the supposed visit.
Given Trump's tendency to fabricate stories, the lack of public evidence, and the reports that Trump had never visited Israel before his presidency, we were highly skeptical. The Times of Israel had reported that Trump had never visited Israel before his presidency, and the Trump campaign had given a substantially different comment to The New York Times earlier that same day.
Three former Trump officials who worked on Middle East policy were asked if they had any proof of Trump's claim or the campaign's claim that Trump had visited Gaza. The only one who responded, Trump-appointed former Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs David Schenker, stated that he was not aware of any visits, and that the story likely no longer held any significance.
Another pointless pursuit
For years, Trump's unsubstantiated stories have led us on fact-checking wild goose chases, seeking things like proof that he had been named "Man of the Year" in Michigan (which he was not) or that something significant related to immigration had happened "last night in Sweden" in 2017 (which did not occur).
This latest pursuit was just as fruitless.
Trump aides told CNN's Kaitlan Collins on Tuesday that Trump had admitted privately that he had gone to Gaza and that his statement in the Monday interview had not been an error. However, they were unable to provide any details about his supposed trip, including the year, the reason for the visit, or who he had been with.
David Friedman, who served as Trump's ambassador to Israel, and Jason Greenblatt, a former Trump Organization executive who became Trump's special representative for international negotiations, did not respond to our requests for comment on Tuesday.
Since we were eager to give Trump associates and supporters every opportunity to substantiate the claim, we even took the unusual step of making a public plea for any corroborating information on X on Monday night.
As of noon on Tuesday, nobody had responded with any information.
CNN's Kaitlan Collins and Alayna Treene contributed to this report.
Despite the continuous claims by Trump's campaign, there's been no concrete evidence to support Trump's alleged visit to Gaza during his presidency or earlier. The lack of credible information from Trump's campaign and his associates has raised serious doubts about the authenticity of his claims in the realm of Middle East politics.
