Rep. Derrick Van Orden, D-Wis., speaks with reporters as he arrives for the Republican caucus meeting at the Capitol in Washington, Oct. 19, 2023. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

On Wednesday morning, U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-WI) indicated support for President Donald Trump’s proposal to use the United States military to colonize the Gaza Strip and displace millions of civilians.

Van Orden spun the situation as taking a “different approach to the Gaza Strip.”

Van Orden did not immediately respond to a request to clarify his comments.

During a joint press conference on Tuesday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes and crimes against humanity, Trump outlined his plan to “take over” the Gaza Strip and develop a “Riviera of the Middle East.”

The “Gaza thing has not worked — it’s never worked,” Trump said. Palestinians, he said, “should get a good, fresh, beautiful piece of land, and we get some people to put up the money to build it and make it nice and make it habitable and enjoyable.”

“If we could find the right piece of land, or numerous pieces of land, and build them some really nice places, with plenty of money in the area, that’s for sure, I think that would be a lot better than going back to Gaza,” Trump continued.

According to figures from the Associated Press, the Israeli-Hamas conflict, which is under a tentative ceasefire, resulted in the displacement of 1.9 million Palestinians, the destruction of 69% of the region’s structures and the death of at least 46,000, although the actual figure could be much higher.

Under Trump’s plan, U.S. troops would displace nearly 2 million Palestinians from the Gaza Strip to develop real estate. Even though Trump campaigned as a “candidate of peace,” the proposal to colonize the Gaza Strip has been met with near universal opposition from foreign governments in Europe and the Middle East. These countries include Egypt and Jordan, where Trump proposes moving the Palestinian people while the projected 15-year construction project is underway.

Last November, Van Orden praised Trump’s national security cabinet picks, saying they will “only get us involved in an armed conflict if we have to.” The plan also flies in the face of Trump’s “America First” agenda, which Van Orden has vehemently endorsed, to prioritize domestic policy and only intervene abroad when necessary.

Van Orden narrowly won a second term last November, defeating Democratic challenger Rebecca Cooke by 11,256 votes.