President Donald Trump departs after speaking about the Iran war from the Cross Hall of the White House on Wednesday, April 1, 2026, in Washington.Alex Brandon/AP
Donald Trump’s first national address since launching his war in Iran with Israel on Wednesday night tremendously backfired.
The speech, reportedly designed to reassure Americans that all of his administration’s military goals would be achieved swiftly, provided few new details about how exactly the fighting would continue in the near future.
But one remark was notable: comparing the war against Iran with long, unpopular US wars in Korea, Vietnam, and Iraq to demonstrate how much he has accomplished against “one of the most powerful countries” in just 32 days. Maybe mentioning unpopular wars that dragged on is not a good way to ease anxieties?
Oil prices skyrocketed again in response to Trump’s address, rising more than eight percent.
While Trump seemed to temper his rhetoric on some of his usual talking points, namely, directly insulting NATO allies and threatening to withdraw from the alliance—something he said earlier that same Wednesday—the president instead stated countries that rely on oil traveling through the Strait of Hormuz should “build up some delayed courage” and take care of the passage.
“The hard part is done,” Trump said, referring to the extensive airstrikes against Iran that he claims opened the door for re-opening the Strait of Hormuz. The US and Israel bombing campaign has killed nearly 2,000 people as of March 26.
According to the Washington Post, leaders from more than 30 countries will meet Thursday to assess ways to reopen the waterway, including finding diplomatic ways to make the strait “safe” after the war ends (Trump did not state an end date on the war on Wednesday night). Officials say that freeing the strait would necessitate their navies to escort oil tankers.
It’s another needless Trump war that he is demanding everyone else clean up.
