If we could pick out one phrase to characterize the first week of “Trump II – Return of The Donald,” it would be “fast and furious.” He’s been lobbing executive orders and policy proposals around with abandon, determined to get as much done, as fast as possible. Some of those proposals we may have initially dismissed as trial balloons – like his intention to purchase Greenland from Denmark. But he seems to be serious in settling some unpleasant situations in one of the world’s most unpleasant places, the Middle East.

In his latest move, he’s proposing to “clean out” the Gaza Strip by nudging Jordan and Egypt to accept more Palestinian refugees. During a Q&A session with the press on Air Force One on Saturday, President Trump floated this latest idea.

President Donald Trump said he would like to see Jordan, Egypt and other Arab nations increase the number of Palestinian refugees they are accepting from the Gaza Strip, potentially moving out enough of the population to “just clean out” the war-torn area to create a virtual clean slate.

During a 20-minute question-and-answer session Saturday with reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump also said he has ended his predecessor’s hold on sending 2,000-pound bombs to Israel. That lifts a pressure point meant to reduce civilian casualties during Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza, which is now halted by a tenuous ceasefire. 

“We released them today,” Trump said of the bombs. “They’ve been waiting for them for a long time.” Asked why he lifted the ban on those bombs, Trump responded, “Because they bought them.”

The bombs, of course, were already purchased; the Biden administration had blocked the transfer.