'He's making America weak': Trump blames Biden for Israel-Gaza conflict claiming Hamas wouldn't have dared fire rockets under his presidency: Teases his new social media platform
Donald Trump has accused Joe Biden of having 'an attitude of weakness' which has led to the current Israel-Gaza conflict, declaring: 'that wouldn't have happened with me.'
Speaking from Trump Tower in Manhattan on Tuesday, the former president told cable news channel OAN that he intended to build a rival social network to compensate for his ban from social media. He admitted that being barred since January on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other platforms was hampering fundraising for a potential 2024 presidential run.
And he strongly criticized his successor's policy in the Middle East, describing Biden as having enfeebled the United States.
The interview aired on Thursday night, shortly after Biden addressed the nation and declared that a ceasefire had been agreed to end the 11 days of fighting.
'He's shown such weakness,' Trump said of Biden.
'They have planes flying over Taiwan now.
'You wouldn't have had this problem in Israel.
'They didn't shoot rockets. They are shooting thousands of rockets into Israel - that wouldn't have happened with me.'
Donald Trump on Tuesday spoke to OAN, for an interview that aired on Thursday evening
Joe Biden announced the ceasefire on Thursday, shortly before Trump's interview aired
Trump told OAN's White House correspondent Chanel Rion that he feared for the future of the region.
While in the White House, Trump prided himself on being staunchly pro-Israel, and was a firm ally of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
'You get war, you get big war in the Middle East and it's going to get worse,' Trump said.
Asked by Rion how he would handle the situation differently, Trump replied: 'They have to know the president is going to be representing whatever it is you're talking about.
'It's an attitude.
'The attitude is that of weakness.
'This would never have happened.'
Donald Trump prided himself on his close relationship with Netanyahu
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Security Cabinet approved a unilateral ceasefire to halt an 11-day Israeli military operation in the Gaza Strip
Smoke rises after an Israeli airstrike in eastern Gaza on Thursday before a ceasefire started in the early hours of Friday
Israeli artillery in action on May 12, in the midst of the 11-day conflict
Trump also pointed to Russia's recent aggressive moves towards Ukraine as a sign of American weakness.
He said that his strength had prevented North Korea from declaring war.
Trump has barely been out of the spotlight since stepping down on January 20, and frequently appears on cable news to weigh in on issues of the day.
Banned from social media, he now issues statements, rather than tweets.
'We are getting our voice out,' he said.
'I think my voice is out just as it was before.
'But if you want to run a campaign it's much more difficult to raise money. Because you use those platforms to raise money.'
Donald Trump relocated to his New Jersey golf club at the weekend and was spotted in New York City soon after. His team is planning to hold rallies in June and he hopes to make a big social media announcement on July 4
Trump was barred from Twitter in January amid the fallout from the attack on the Capitol building and has been plotting his return to social media ever since
Trump said that his team would have 'to do our own thing.'
'I think there will be tremendous litigation as it makes it incredibly unfair,' he said.
The former president has frequently floated the idea of creating his own social network, yet nothing has emerged.
Trump is believed to be aiming to launch his new social media platform to coincide with Fourth of July celebrations, six months after he was banned from Twitter, as his team plots a way back into the limelight.
As DailyMail.com revealed, Trump is expected to relaunch rallies with two open-air events in June followed by a rally around the date of July 3, offering a chance to build anticipation for his new venture.
People familiar with planning say Independence Day is only a rough target for a social media launch.
'They have a lot of people working in the White House who worked for big tech,' said Trump, adding that Democrats have 'embraced big tech'.
Earlier this month it emerged that CloutHub, which says it has become the new home of many Trump fans who have been frozen out of their Facebook accounts, has held talks with the former president
'We believe that of all the platforms that have come out, we are the right platform for the president,' chief executive Jeff Brain told the Wall Street Journal, which was first to report the target date.
Other platforms linked with Trump include FreeSpace, a Facebook like app that targets entrepreneurs.
Trump's personal account was permanently banned from Twitter on Jan. 8 amid the fallout from his supporters attacking the U.S. Capitol.
Last week Facebook upheld its ban on the 45th president, saying he 'created an environment where a serious risk of violence was possible.'
In the meantime, Trump launched a web page carrying his statements making it easier for users to share his on both Facebook and Twitter.
Trump launched a new website, From The Desk of Donald J. Trump, to publish his statements but aides say it is not the much trailed new social media platform
He used it to congratulate his pick on becoming the third most senior Republican in the House of Representatives.
'Congratulations to Elise Stefanik for her Big and Overwhelming victory,' he wrote. 'The House GOP is united and the Make America Great Again movement is Strong!'
At the time of its launch, a senior adviser said From the Desk of Donald J Trump was merely the start.
'President Trump's website is a great resource to find his latest statements and highlights from his first term in office, but this is not a new social media platform,' tweeted Jason Miller, a long-time aide.
'We'll have additional information coming on that front in the very near future.'
Earlier this year Trump told friends he had lined up hundreds of millions of dollars in potential backing for a new platform - including from billionaires worried about growing cancel culture.
The former president has now moved for the summer from his Florida resort, Mar-a-Lago, to his golf course in Bedminster, New Jersey.
The move is to escape the swampy Florida summer heat, but also to be closer to the headquarters of the Trump Organization - which, it emerged on Tuesday, is now facing a criminal investigation into its finances led by the New York attorney general.
Trump did not in Tuesday's interview discuss the probe into his company's finances, which began in 2019.
He was informed in April that the inquiry had progressed from being a purely civil investigation, and now was exploring possibly criminal conduct.
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