Let me tell you about Trump’s latest performance – whining about not getting thanked for sending aid to Gaza. If this doesn’t perfectly capture the man’s relationship with reality, I don’t know what does.
Last weekend in Scotland, standing next to the EU Commission President no less, Trump had the audacity to complain that nobody said “thank you” for the $60 million he claimed America sent to Gaza two weeks prior. “We gave $60 million two weeks ago for food for Gaza, and nobody acknowledged it, nobody talks about it,” he said, sounding like a child who didn’t get praise for cleaning his room.
Now, I saw the video clip – just like maybe many of you – it I didn’t even bother to,post anything about it – because it was just Trump whining about not getting credit -which is hardly new or interesting.
But then I read that nothing he said was even true!
Trump didn’t actually send $60 million to Gaza. The documented amount is $30 million, approved by the State Department in June for something called the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. So right off the bat, he’s inflating his own generosity by 100 percent. Classic Trump math.
And what exactly is this Gaza Humanitarian Foundation that Trump’s so proud of funding? It’s a Delaware-based nonprofit that every major humanitarian organization on the planet has refused to work with. The UN called it “a death trap” for hungry Palestinians. Since May, over 1,000 Palestinians have been killed trying to access aid at the foundation’s distribution sites. The Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health said that as of Wednesday, 549 people had been killed near GHF hubs trying to access aid, and more than 4,066 others wounded.
You’ve probably seen the undercover videos of Palestinians rushing to grab food while AMERICAN hired hands shoot at them. I say “undercover” because there was ahuge story a couple of weeks ago where a whistleblower came forward to share the videos that he shot incognito of this happening.
This is what Trump wants a thank you for:
The foundation operates only four heavily militarized distribution hubs, compared to the UN’s 400+ distribution points. Palestinians have to walk miles through dangerous territory just to reach these sites, where they’re often met with gunfire from Israeli forces or American mercenaries. One Palestinian man told CBS News, “Those who go will die. It’s a trap. Stop going there. And if your son insists on going, break his legs. Do not go there.”
But Trump’s standing there in Scotland, next to one of Europe’s most powerful leaders, complaining that he doesn’t get enough credit for this disaster. He even claimed that no European countries have contributed anything to Gaza aid – which is complete nonsense. European nations fund the World Food Program and other established aid organizations to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars.
The real jaw-dropping thing about the foundation – the one Trump’s so desperate for praise about – is that it operates with Israeli government oversight. Despite being registered in Delaware, evidence suggests Israel has funneled around $280 million to fund its operations. So Trump’s essentially taking credit for a mechanism that allows Israel to control who gets aid and when, while bypassing all the traditional humanitarian safeguards that actually keep people alive.
Over 240 NGOs, including Doctors Without Borders, Save the Children, and Oxfam, have called for this foundation to be dismantled. The foundation’s first director resigned after just weeks on the job, citing violations of humanitarian principles. Even career State Department officials raised “critical concerns” about the funding, according to reports, but the $30 million was pushed through anyway.
This is the broader context Trump conveniently leaves out when he’s fishing for compliments. During his first presidency, he eliminated virtually all Palestinian aid – cutting $365 million in annual UNRWA funding and over $200 million in bilateral assistance. Obama provided about $400 million annually; Biden restored $150 million and provided over $2 billion in Gaza humanitarian assistance. Trump’s approach has consistently been to break from multilateral aid mechanisms in ways that make things worse, not better.
So when Trump stands there pouting about not getting thanked, what he’s really saying is: “Why won’t anyone praise me for replacing effective humanitarian aid with a system that gets people killed?” The answer should be obvious, but then again, we’re talking about a man who thinks windmills cause whales to go crazy.
Literally everything Trump does has to be about him personally. He can’t just help people; he needs recognition, gratitude, and preferably a parade in his honor. When that doesn’t happen, he throws a tantrum on the world stage, standing next to world leaders and embarrassing America in the process.
The most telling part of his Scotland performance was when he pivoted from complaining about no thank yous to saying Israel needs to “finish the job” against Hamas. One minute he’s claiming to be Gaza’s benefactor, the next he’s essentially endorsing collective punishment. It’s the kind of cognitive dissonance that would make your head spin if you weren’t already used to Trump’s particular brand of moral gymnastics.
So – the takeaway is: Trump created a mechanism that allows Israel to weaponize humanitarian aid while giving himself political cover to claim he’s helping Palestinians. When the international community rightfully condemns this approach, he acts wounded and demands gratitude.
The saddest part is that while Trump’s in Scotland whining about insufficient recognition, Palestinians are literally starving to death. UN officials report their staff are fainting from hunger and exhaustion. Children are dying of malnutrition at rates not seen since the worst famines in modern history. But Trump’s primary concern is whether he gets credit for his “generous” contribution to a system that’s making everything worse.
This is what happens when you put a malignant narcissist in charge of humanitarian policy. Instead of actually helping people, you get elaborate schemes designed to generate positive headlines while creating new ways for people to suffer. And when those schemes inevitably fail, you get presidential temper tantrums about insufficient gratitude. Trump’s Gaza aid tantrum perfectly encapsulates his entire approach to governance – performative cruelty disguised as benevolence, with a hefty dose of victimhood when people don’t applaud loudly enough. The man literally cannot do a single thing without making it about his wounded ego. Even when people are dying, it’s still all about him.