Trump Panics as Blockade Starts and Instantly Backfires

13 Apr 2026 · 20 min · 6 chapters

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In short

The episode centers on claims that Donald Trump’s announced “blockade” of the Persian Gulf/Strait of Hormuz (following failed Iran negotiations in Pakistan) is already backfiring and escalating tensions. The host argues the blockade is unclear in maritime-law terms (since tankers make multiple stops) and that Iran can retaliate by threatening Gulf ports and controlling transit. Key claims include: Trump’s social-media threats are not a real negotiation strategy; Iran’s “fast attack ships” are a major Strait-of-Hormuz control method (so Trump’s “we didn’t consider them a threat” claim is criticized); and Iran could respond by closing the Red Sea strait too. Notable examples cited: Trump posts claiming “158 ships” obliterated and threats to “eliminate” ships; Iran’s military spokesperson warning “either for everyone or for no one”; China saying it will not recognize the blockade and will send ships; and mockery by Iran’s officials (including a PhD/engineer parliament leader using math to predict higher gas prices).

Guests

none mentioned; the transcript is commentary plus embedded ads.

Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.

Chapters

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Trump's Blockade Against Iran Explained

1:30 to 4:25

Discussing Donald Trump's blockade against Iran and its immediate backlash.

“Donald Trump is panicking as his so-called blockade against Iran following his failed negotiations in Pakistan.”

Iran's Response to U.S. Actions

4:25 to 7:32

Analyzing Iran's military and political response to the U.S. blockade.

“They're like, you realize to do a blockade, it's more than a social media post.”

The Consequences of Trump's Negotiation Tactics

7:32 to 11:31

Exploring how Trump's negotiation style is impacting international relations.

“Iran's armed forces state clearly and firmly security in the ports of the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman will either be for everyone or for no one.”

Youth Reaction to Trump's Policies

11:31 to 14:01

Examining the shift in approval ratings of Donald Trump among younger voters.

“And if there are opportunities to negotiate resolutions, you don't do it by saying we've sunk 158 of your ships.”

Trump's Approval Ratings Among Young Voters

14:01 to 16:44

Explore the significant decline in Donald Trump's approval ratings among young voters.

“And folks, the American people are livid at Donald Trump and his regime, especially young people.”

The Strait of Hormuz Blockade and International Response

16:44 to 17:36

Discuss the implications of Trump's blockade announcement in the Strait of Hormuz and reactions from China and Iran.

“Go back and watch the video I did on Pope Leo XIV.”
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Transcript

Automatic transcript. May contain errors.

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1:30Ben Meiselas:Donald Trump is panicking as his so-called blockade against Iran following his failed negotiations in Pakistan. It is backfiring in Donald Trump's face. Moments ago, Donald Trump made a social media post confirming that he has started a blockade of the Persian Gulf. So Donald Trump's plan to open the Strait of Hormuz is to further close the Strait of Hormuz to all countries by the United States blocking the Persian Gulf. Now, CENCOM says that the blockade only applies to Iranian ports. But if anybody understands the way maritime law works or understands the Persian Gulf, it's very hard to decipher which port the tankers are technically leaving from based on the fact that they often make multiple stops.

2:24Ben Meiselas:In any event, Donald Trump made a post announcing the blockade. He then got immediate responses from Iran, which says, if you do that, get ready, we will close the strait in the Red Sea as well. And nobody gets to come into the Persian Gulf if that's what you really want to do. So good luck with those oil prices, Donald. Also, Donald Trump is being sharply rebuked right now by China, by Europe, and by countries across the world as well. Here's what Donald Trump posted. We'll show you how it backfired instantly as things now appear to be escalating again. Donald Trump posted, Iran's Navy is laying at the bottom of the sea, completely obliterated, 158 ships.

3:09Ben Meiselas:What we have not hit are their small number of what they call fast attack ships, because we did not consider them much of a threat. Pause there. Does that make any sense to you at all? You don't consider their fast ships, which have missiles on them, a threat? One of the main ways Iran controls the Strait of Hormuz is with those fast ships. So I just want to always fact check what Donald Trump is saying because it makes zero sense in any event. He goes, warning, If any of these ships come anywhere close to our blockade, they will be immediately eliminated using the same system of kill that we use against the drug dealers on boats at sea.

3:52Ben Meiselas:Pause. You mean the fishing ships where you've engaged in war crimes. By the way, Donald, what are you going to do if a Chinese flagship or a Indian flagship enters into the Strait of Hormuz in order to get oil from Russia? You're going to blow up the Indian ship. You're going to blow up the Chinese ship. You're going to blow up the Russian ship. The last time you claimed you were doing a blockade regarding Cuba, that Russian ship just went right by and right into Cuba. And you did absolutely nothing about it. By the way, the Iranian social media accounts are mocking Donald Trump right now. They're like, you realize to do a blockade, it's more than a social media post.

4:32Ben Meiselas:You got to come closer. Come closer, Donald, is what the Iranians are saying right now. Donald Trump just said it's quick and brutal how he's going to kill the Iranians. He said, P.S. 98.2 % of drugs coming into the U.S. by ocean or sea have stopped. Thank you for your attention to this matter, DJT. Now, if this is supposed to be an effective strategy for negotiation, it just is not going to work. This is just not how human beings negotiate with human beings. Now, if you want to go to war, if you're going to make good on your threats and you want to put America in perpetual war with countries, I guess this is how you can talk like like a tyrant, like an authoritarian, like a war criminal.

5:17But in terms of negotiations, one of the reasons it fails is Donald Trump goes in there and acts like a negotiation is a way to kill people. In fact, in Pakistan, Donald Trump had his sycophants make social media posts and write op-eds in American media threatening to kill the Iranian negotiators.

5:36Ben Meiselas:Also, Donald Trump changed the negotiating framework that he agreed to from Iran's 10-point plan, which Trump announced that he was in agreement with to Donald Trump saying, well, you have to agree that you can control the Strait of Hormuz. You have to get rid of your missiles. You have to get rid of all of your uranium when Donald Trump previously previously agreed to the contrary. So at least according to American media, Wall Street Journal and others citing a number of senior U.S. officials, but senior U.S. officials lie about everything. The U.S. blockade of the Strait of Hormuz is now in effect, and we're seeing and hearing Iran's response right away.

6:12Ben Meiselas:Iran threatens Gulf ports as U.S. imposes naval blockade. Iran's military spokesperson said that no port in the Gulf will be safe if Iranian ports were threatened. After U.S. military made this announcement that the blockade is in effect, security in the ports of the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman will either be for everyone or for no one is what the spokesperson for the Iranian Revolutionary Guard military saying. The armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran considers defending the country's legal rights a natural and lawful duty. Accordingly, exercising Iran's sovereignty in its territorial waters is the natural right of the Iranian people, is what Iran's military leaders say in response to Trump's blockade.

6:56Ben Meiselas:Based on this, ensuring security in Iran's territorial waters will continue decisively by its armed forces. As repeatedly stated, vessels affiliated with enemies are not permitted and will not be permitted to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. Other vessels may continue to transit provided they comply with the regulations set by Iran's armed forces. Given the continued threats against Iran's people and national security, even after the war ends, Iran will decisively implement a permanent mechanism to control the Strait of Hormuz. The restrictions imposed by the United States on maritime movement and international waters are illegal and amount to piracy.

7:32Ben Meiselas:Iran's armed forces state clearly and firmly security in the ports of the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman will either be for everyone or for no one. If the security of Iran's ports in the Persian Gulf and Sea of Oman is threatened, no port in those waters will remain safe. In other words, you shut down our port, we will attack the neighboring ports. And doesn't this in other countries. Now, doesn't this also continue to seem just like COVID, where after Donald Trump promised he would bend the curve before Easter and he did not do that? While the death toll was going up during COVID back in 2020, then Donald Trump basically ignored it and acted like everything is going great.

8:11Well, that's kind of what's happening now. I guess the plan is to say you're doing a blockade, whether or not you're going to enforce it is left to be seen. And then you don't actually solve the problem, which is the Strait of Hormuz is now controlled by Iran.

8:26Ben Meiselas:The tankers affiliated with the United States and allies of the United States are not able to get through. The price of oil surges, inflation surges, and Americans suffer. And Donald Trump goes out and plays golf and behaves very weirdly. I mean, when all of this was going on, the failed negotiations because Trump and Vance and Whitcoff and Kushner changed the negotiating framework. Remember, Donald Trump was at UFC and he was telling the fighters how handsome they were and how you're so handsome. You're so look how muscular you are. You're so good looking. Remember, Donald Trump was doing that.

9:01And then over the weekend, he was at his golf course in Doral. Here's a video of like a like a lady going up to him and he's like, you want a picture? You want a picture? Is that your husband over there? I mean, this is what the commander in chief of the United States is doing during a war where sensitive discussions are taking place. Here, play this clip.

9:28Ben Meiselas:And by the way, he was also deranged in a very deranged matter. But what else is new? Posting all throughout the evening, post after post after post. Harry Sisson did a list of what Donald Trump was posting like last night. He started around 10 p.m. with a Jesus photo of himself where Trump said that he was Jesus and then posted like demons and like G.I. Joe characters in the back of him being Jesus. He posted Trump Tower on the moon, random news clips, attacks on Biden, random articles about ballrooms. I mean, it's just post after post after post. Meanwhile, his buddy Netanyahu says, Israel is at the height of its power because we have alignment with the most powerful nation in the world.

10:17And together, we have the capability to confront even the gravest threats is what Netanyahu also says. The ceasefire could end very, very quickly. Meanwhile, in China, one of their top foreign policy spokespeople said the following. China is saying this. We are committed for peace and stability in the world. China's Minister of Defense, Admiral Dongjun, says we are monitoring the situation in the Middle East. Our ships are moving in and out of the waters of the Strait of Hormuz. We have trade and energy agreements with Iran. We will respect and honor them and expect others to not meddle in our affairs.

10:58Iran controls the Strait of Hormuz and it is open to us. In other words, you can't block us. We are going good luck trying to block our ships. So by Donald Trump saying that he's going to block the ships through the blockade, I just want you to think about what he's actually saying. While he's out there golfing and doing whatever weird thing that is with whatever you saw there, you have China saying, OK, we don't we don't acknowledge your blockade. You want to shoot our ships, shoot our ships. And that's what's what's going to happen when Trump doesn't do it. of Trump does do it. It's World War Three.

11:33What are we doing here? And if there are opportunities to negotiate resolutions, you don't do it by saying we've sunk 158 of your ships. We're going to kill you, you bastards. That's not maybe in your C-list movie. That's how you think negotiations happen. But at a high level, that's not how negotiations happen at all. And you have I mean, look, you have MB Galiboff, Iran's parliament leader. He's making posts like this with

12:01Ben Meiselas:mathematical formulas to basically mock Donald Trump's lack of intelligence to show how a double blockade doubles the impact of the problem that you claim to be trying to solve. But Donald Trump probably doesn't understand this mathematical formula. But Galiboff is a PhD, an engineer, amongst other things that he does. He goes, enjoy the current pump figures with the so-called blockade. Soon you'll be nostalgic for$4 to$5 a gallon. Oh, one more thing about Netanyahu during the speech that he gave today to the people of Israel. He talked about how during the mediation, J.D. Vance reported to me, in other words, Netanyahu, J.D.

12:44Vance would report to Netanyahu in detail, as this administration does every day about the developments of the negotiation. In this case, the explosion in the negotiations, the explosion came from the American side, which could not tolerate Iran's blatant violation of the agreement to enter the negotiations. The agreement to enter the negotiations was Iran's 10-point plan. Donald Trump posted that. Don't gaslight us and lie to us what was really happening there. And also, whether it's Israel, whether it's any country, why is the United States reporting to another country like it's the boss of the United States?

13:23Why wouldn't the United States be working with all of its allies in order to try to address this serious issue versus reporting to Netanyahu? I mean, and by the way, Netanyahu is saying it publicly. Trump reports to me. I just read to you the direct quote, Germans Chancellor Friedrich Merz says, we will continue to feel the consequences of the war in Iran for a long time.

13:45Ben Meiselas:Even after it's over, we were preparing ourselves for a prolonged period of significant strain on the German economy and therefore also on private households. The German chancellor goes on to say, I was not surprised by the decision to break off the talks in Islam is about from the beginning. I did not have the impression that they were really well prepared. Yeah, Trump sent J.D. Vance, Whitcoff, and Kushner, no one who understands nuclear energy, no one who even understands the language that is being used in the negotiation, and they think that they're just going to resolve this, what, by continuing to threaten Iran over and over and over again?

14:21Well, that just ain't working. And folks, the American people are livid at Donald Trump and his regime, especially young people. Things have gone from bad to worse for Donald Trump with young voters. As Zachary Dunin points out, Donald Trump's net approval since the fall of 2025 is as follows. Men, 18 to 22. They are negative eight. So from negative 19 to negative 27. Women, from negative 40 to negative 54. Men, 23 to 29. Negative 24 to negative 33. Women who are 23 years old to 29 years old and went from negative 40 to negative 47 percent. Trump is absolutely tanky. By the way, you want to see Iran's response to Donald Trump making social media posts of himself as Jesus and Donald Trump making other social media posts attacking the Pope?

15:16Here's what Iran's president, Pazeskian, writes. Your Excellency Pope Leo XIV, on behalf of the great nation of Iran, I condemn the insult to your excellency and declare the desecration of Jesus. Peace be upon him. The prophet of peace and brotherhood is unacceptable to any free person. I wish glory for you from Allah. So while Donald Trump is mocking the Pope, attacking Pope Leo XIV, saying that he's like a liberal leftist, and then Donald Trump's making social media posts of himself as Jesus, you have the Iranian president saying, we stand with Pope Leo XIV. No one should be mocking religions like that.

15:59And as you know, Donald Trump continues to mock Islam and Donald Trump's like, praise be Allah, praise be Allah, praise be Allah. Meanwhile, Pope Leo XIV was asked about Donald Trump's social media posts attacking him. And Pope Leo XIV said, I'm not intimidated by Donald Trump. I don't get involved in political matters. It's not my job to be involved in, you know, foreign affairs here. And I'm going to continue to spread the word, he says, you know,

16:25Ben Meiselas:of the Bible, whether you're religious or not. He says, I'm going to spread the word of compassion, you know, and I'm going to spread the word of empathy and I'm going to help people who are suffering. And it doesn't bother me that he attacks me. I don't really care at all. You know, is a very strong words from Pope Leo XIV in the plane moments ago. Go back and watch the video I did on Pope Leo XIV. And so here's where we're at. Here's where we're at. You have the Trump regime blockading or saying they're blockading the Strait of Hormuz or all of the Persian Gulf only from oil leaving from Iranian ports.

17:01Ben Meiselas:You have China saying we have trade deals with Iran. So we're not acknowledging that. We're going to send our ships through. The Strait of Hormuz remains largely closed to anyone other than a small group of ships that are allied with Iran. And Donald Trump sending the United States into a situation where it is, you know, it is a standoff now with not just China, but with other allies, but with just China, but also with NATO, with anybody, right, who wants to send their ships into this area. So we'll keep you posted every step of the way here on the Midas Touch Network. Hit subscribe. Let's get to 7 million subscribers.

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From the publisher

MeidasTouch host Ben Meiselas reports on Donald Trump panicking as his blockade is instantly backfiring with responses from Iran, China, and the rest of the world.

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