President Donald Trump’s “ice maiden” lived up to her name on Tuesday as she stared down her boss during a bizarre press conference in the Oval Office with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
As Trump rambled on and on about Gaza being hell on Earth and described a half-baked idea for some other very rich country to build a beautiful town for the people of Gaza in an unspecified place, Chief of Staff Susie Wiles edged closer until she was standing directly behind Trump.
She pursed her lips and opened her eyes wide, looking a bit stunned as the president went on to blame his predecessor, former President Joe Biden, for the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel.
In a series of coordinated attacks, Hamas and other militant groups killed about 1,200 people and abducted 250 hostages. Israel responded by invading Gaza, killing more than 46,000 Palestinians—most of them women and children—and leveling large areas of Gaza.
US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles (R) speak as the US president meets with Israel’s prime minister. / ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP via Getty Images
“Iran was in very big trouble when I left” office the first time, Trump said on Tuesday. “They didn’t have money for Hamas, they didn’t have money for Hezbollah. You had no problem. October 7th could never have happened.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu smirked throughout a press conference with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office. / ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images
Unlike Wiles, Netanyahu smiled and smirked as Trump said he thought the 1.8 million Gazans who had been displaced during the fighting shouldn’t bother to return home.
“Why would they want to return? The place has been hell,” he said.
“Because it’s their home, sir!” a reporter called out. “Why would they leave?”
“It’s been one of the meanest, toughest places on Earth,” Trump continued. “And right now, I’ve seen every picture from every angle—better than if I were there—and nobody can live there. You can’t live there.”
White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles (C) looks alarmed as President Donald Trump speaks about Gaza. / Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images
But later that same day, he called for the U.S. to “take over” Gaza and transform it into the “Riviera of the Middle East,” suggesting it’s not such a hellish place after all.
Unfortunately, Wiles wasn’t standing by for that comment. We would have liked to have seen her face.
