President Donald Trump has long had a keen sense of the power of imagery, and pictures of children starving in Gaza are motivating him to redouble U.S. humanitarian aid efforts there.
He was “disturbed” and “troubled” by the images, most of which he saw in news clips, a senior White House official told NBC News.
“We can save a lot of people,” Trump said Monday during a meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Scotland. “I mean, some of those kids are — that’s real starvation stuff. I see it, and you can’t fake it. So we’re going to be even more involved.”
White House officials said Trump had previously approved $60 million for aid to Gaza but that it had gotten little public notice and that the promise of more food — and a better system to ensure that it gets to civilians — points to ongoing need.
“He has continued to see photos of starving children and wants to continue to help,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told NBC News. In 2017, pictures of victims of chemical weapons attacks prompted Trump to launch Tomahawk missiles over Syria.
