This week, President-elect Donald Trump addressed a sizable Republican gathering, stating:

"I had a good conversation with Bibi. We talked about what's coming and where things stand regarding the hostages." Trump then issued a direct warning to Hamas: "We want our hostages back. And they had better be back before I assume office, or you will pay a big price."

In response, media analyst @AdemeMedia tweeted, "I see the $100 million bribe Miriam Adelson (a U.S.-Israeli citizen) paid him during the election campaign is already paying off for the Israelis." Trump has been acting as "Israel's lapdog," a label many have associated with him since his initial run for office in 2016.

The big question remains: What exactly will Trump do on January 20th if the hostages are not released? Would he resort to extreme military action, risking further loss of life, including the hostages themselves? And what can he accomplish that President Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu have not done during the last 14 months of the war in Gaza?

Trump’s controversial rhetoric doesn’t stop there. At the gathering, he declared, "If you hate America and hate Israel, then we don't want you in our country. Hamas supporters will be gone."

This statement was aimed at anti-genocide protesters speaking out against U.S. support for Israel’s actions in Gaza. However, opposing genocide and advocating for Palestinian rights does not equate to supporting Hamas—a distinction Trump appears either unable or unwilling to make.

Moreover, Trump’s threat to expel individuals from the United States reveals his misunderstanding of constitutional rights. The First Amendment guarantees freedom of speech, and U.S. citizenship—whether by birth or naturalization—protects against arbitrary deportation. Even expelling foreign students would be an uphill battle for Trump.

Mahmoud El-Yousseph is a Palestinian freelancer for Islamicity.com and ColumbusFreePress.com. He can be reached at [email protected].