President Donald Trump said the United States would begin a blockade in the Strait of Hormuz at 10 the next day, escalating the pressure campaign around Iran while ordinary people are left to absorb the fallout of decisions made at the top. Trump said the move would go into effect after he stepped off Air Force One in Maryland on Sunday, according to Fox News, which said he spoke outside Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, on April 12, 2026.
Who Holds the Levers
Trump framed the blockade as part of a wider military and economic squeeze. He said, "At 10 tomorrow, we have a blockade going into effect," and, "Other nations are working so that Iran will not be able to sell oil." In the same remarks, he claimed Iranian naval forces had already been shattered. "Their military is destroyed," he said. "Their whole Navy is underwater. You know that 158 ships are gone. Their navy is gone. Most of their mine droppers are gone."
Fox News said Trump made the remarks as tensions with Iran escalated and that he also voiced "sharp disapproval" of NATO. He said, "But I'm very disappointed in NATO. They weren't there for us. We pay trillions of dollars for NATO, and they weren't there for us." He added, "Now they want to come up, but there's no real threat anymore," and, "When you think of it, we're guarding against Russia. And I've long thought it was a little ridiculous, but we spent trillions of dollars doing it. And I think that's going to be under very serious examination."
Fox News said Trump has repeatedly threatened to withdraw the United States from NATO and accused the alliance of providing limited assistance during the Iran offensive, dubbed Operation Epic Fury, and refusing to offer naval support to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. In a Truth Social post on March 31, 2026, Trump wrote, "You'll have to start learning how to fight for yourself, the U.S.A. won't be there to help you anymore, just like you weren't there for us."
Who Pays for the Power Plays
The costs of this escalation are already being translated into domestic political damage and higher prices. Politico said Republicans returned to Washington this week eager to promote the pocketbook benefits of their nine-month-old megabill ahead of Tax Day, but that the fallout from the war in the Middle East threatened to complicate that message. It said the congressional GOP was increasingly entangled with the six-week-old Iran war, which stood to cast a long shadow over the party agenda.
Politico said both chambers would likely debate and vote on Democratic-led war powers resolutions. It also said the White House communications office sent talking points on the cease fire to GOP offices last week, arguing Trump had delivered "Peace Through Strength," though much of that guidance referred to a possibility of a "broader peace agreement" that appeared kaput by Sunday morning.
Politico quoted Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., as saying, "My constituents are saving thousands of dollars and they know it," and, "Republicans can and should take credit because the alternative would’ve been massive tax hikes under the Democrats had they won the 2024 election." She also said Republicans "need to ensure that the spike is only temporary and that we get those prices back down as soon as possible so we have all three: low taxes, affordable gas and a safer nation."
A House Republican granted anonymity told Politico, "It’s all we have to run on," and, "Do you see us turning out other big-ticket legislation? This is it." Politico said the benefits of the "big, beautiful bill" were at risk of being swamped by rising energy prices, that new federal data published Friday showed inflation at its highest level in two years with energy costs accounting for the bulk of the spike, and that the collapse of peace talks with Iran over the weekend aimed at restoring oil flows through the Persian Gulf further underscored the threat of rising prices.
The Machinery Keeps Moving
Politico said House GOP leaders hoped the deregulatory effort would help assuage some rank-and-file Republicans, but they also faced a rapidly approaching deadline for the reauthorization of key surveillance powers, the ongoing furor over the Jeffrey Epstein files, bipartisan demands to expel several members accused of personal misconduct including Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., and Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, and a toxic internal fight over how to end the nearly two-month-old Department of Homeland Security shutdown.
Politico said Speaker Mike Johnson planned to put a straight extension of the so-called Section 702 program on the floor this week, as the White House was demanding, and that discussions continued with GOP hard-liners who wanted amendments aimed at protecting American citizens from getting swept up in government surveillance.
Fox News also said Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez shut down Spanish airspace to aircraft participating in strikes against Iran, including U.S. bombers, and denied Washington access to military bases in Spain, while President Emmanuel Macron blocked Israeli aircraft from traversing French airspace to transport U.S.-made munitions intended for the conflict with Iran. It also said Finnish President Alexander Stubb told Trump during a phone call that a "more European NATO" is beginning to take shape.
The blockade announcement, the NATO complaints, and the scramble over war powers and prices all point to the same arrangement: decisions made by presidents, party leaders, and military alliances, while the consequences land on everyone else through higher costs, surveillance powers, and a widening war.