Donald Trump issued a chilling ultimatum – putting the Israel/Hamas ceasefire under threat.
Meanwhile he’s started talking about owning the Gaza Strip personally after the Palestinian people are forced out of it.
He continued to do his best Kim Jong Il impression – giving more details about his hostile takeover of an arts and theatre venue.
Oh, and he thinks sharks will be just fine if America goes back to plastic straws, because they’ve got big teeth or something.
Here’s all the chilling and baffling things Donald Trump has done in the last 24 hours.
1. Issued a chilling warning – and put the Israel/Gaza ceasefire under threat
Speaking to reporters after signing a Presidential directive about plastic straws (patience…we’ll come to that) – he put the Gaza ceasefire under pretty serious threat.
He said “all hell” is going to break out if Hamas don’t release all remaining hostages – giving a deadline of midday on Saturday, which he appeared to think up off top of his head.
“That’s Israel’s decision, but as far as I’m concerned if all of the hostages aren’t returned by Saturday at 12 o’clock – I think that’s an appropriate time – I would say cancel it [the ceasefire] and all bets are off. Let all hell break out.”
Asked what he meant by that, he said: “Saturday at 12 o’clock – and after that it’s a different ball game…you’ll find out and they’ll find out too. Hamas will find out what I mean.”
It felt oddly like he was doing a teaser advert for an episode of the Apprentice, except he was talking about a bloody war that has already killed thousands of civilians.
2. Meanwhile, he has started talking about owning Gaza himself…
There’s been a subtle shift in Trump’s language when talking about the future of the “Riviera of the Middle East” – the Gaza Strip.
He’s spoken about America taking ownership of the strip of land after he’s moved all of the people who live and own it are moved elsewhere.
But in his Fox News interview he appeared to talk about owning it…personally.
“We’ll build safe communities a little bit away from where they are, where all of this danger is,” he said.
“In the meantime, I would own this. Think of it as a real estate development for the future.”
3. And yeah, he tackled the big issues in America. Plastic straws
Trump signed an order banning the government from using paper straws, saying they “don’t work”.
“It’s a ridiculous situation. We’re going back to plastic straws,” he fumed as he signed a genuine, honest-to-god, Executive Order so his Diet Coke straws don’t go soggy.
Also, he thinks marine life will be just fine continuing to eat plastic.
“I don’t think that plastic is going to affect the shark very much as they’re eating, as they’re munching their way through the ocean,” the President of the United Sates said.
4. He keeps lying about the 2020 election. Still.
In more clips from his pre-Super Bowl Fox News interview (his second sit-down with the network since becoming President), Trump lied repeatedly about the 2020 election.
Trump does this so often it’s almost like punctuation at this point – but in this particular exchange he leans in and repeats it in a way that makes you think he genuinely believes Joe Biden cheated, and wasn’t the legitimate President.
Arguing the invasion of Ukraine and the October 7 massacre would never have happened if he’d still been in the White House, he said: “If the election weren’t rigged, this would’ve never happened.
“And let’s see whether or not Fox lets you put that in. Do you hear me? Rigged. Let’s see.”
5. Proved he’s a free speech champion by cancelling theatre he doesn’t like
Trump explained a bit more about why he decided to become a part-time theatre impresario, seizing control of major performing arts body the Kennedy Center.
“We didn’t like what they were showing…” he said.
And he revealed who would be installed to lead this MAGA cultural keystone.
He said: “We have a whole new group of people going in, we have Ric Grenell who has some experience in that world. He’s going to be very good. He’s going to be handling it on a temporary basis.”
We have no idea what Trump is talking about.
As far as we can tell, Ric Grenell has no previous professional experience in the arts. During Trump’s first term, he served as acting director of National Intelligence and US ambassador to Germany.
He is currently Special Presidential Envoy for Special Missions, which is about as made up a job title as we’ve ever heard.
Pre-Trump, he was a PR consultant and press officer for the US Mission to the United Nations.
6. Suggested he didnt care if Ukraine becomes “Russian” one day as long as America gets its money back
Speaking to Fox News, Trump gave this chilling assessment of Ukraine’s future: “They may be Russian someday, or they may not be Russian someday. But we’re gonna have all this money in there, and I say I want it back.”
He went on to repeat his demand for Ukraine to give the US $500 million worth of rare earth minerals in return for its investment in their remaining a free and independent nation.
Which is a bit like the fire brigade turning up to put a fire out at your house, and then sending you a bill.
Fun fact, that is a thing that actually happens in some parts of America.
7. Said people shouldn’t work from home because they ‘might play golf’
Speaking about his government’s scrapping of the right to work from home for federal employees, Trump said: “I don’t think you can work from a home. Nobody is gonna work from home.
“They are gonna be going out, they’re gonna play tennis, they’re gonna play golf, they’re gonna do a lot of things. They’re not working.”
And he should know.
During his first Presidency, Donald Trump visited a Trump Organisation property once every 3.4 days, according to the Washington Post.
During those times, he played around 261 rounds of golf. A round every 5.6 days.
8. Gave ‘Big Balls’ another job
Remember Edward Christine? The 19-year-old Elon Musk minion who was sacked from an internship for allegedly leaking corporate intelligence, and who refers to himself as “Big Balls”?
Yeah, he’s been appointed a “Senior Adviser” at the State Department – roughly the equivalent of the UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
That will, in all likelihood give him access to the computers and data held by Washington’s diplomatic operations. Totally normal. Very cool.