\u201cWe totally control the Strait of Hormuz,\u201d Trump said. \u201cWe have control over it. Nobody else, only us.\u201d He added soon after, \u201cWe have total control over the Hormuz Strait right now. They don\u2019t have control. We have total control. We own it.\u201d<\/p>\n
A day earlier, the American president similarly insisted that the Strait of Hormuz is \u201copen now,\u201d adding that the U.S. is \u201cthe only one that has control\u201d over the waterway.<\/p>\n
I am mindful that \u201cTrump says false thing\u201d is not a headline that generates a lot of attention, but this is qualitatively worse than the Republican\u2019s usual nonsense. In the midst of a war, the president is (a) aware of Iran\u2019s control over the Strait of Hormuz; (b) negotiating with Iran in the hopes of ending its control over the Strait of Hormuz; and (c) bragging incessantly about Iran\u2019s lack of control over the Strait of Hormuz. [Maddowblog<\/strong><\/a>]<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Trump’s behavior is quite the denial of reality, isn’t it? And then, as CNN<\/strong><\/em> reports<\/a>, it goes even further:<\/p>\n Iran said the key waterway\u00a0\u201ccannot be seized with a tweet\u201d<\/a>\u00a0after President Donald Trump claimed he would declare the strait US territory after the war<\/strong>.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Now, claims that President Trump is waging a one-man propaganda war against Iran are certainly plausible, as are assertions that this is part of an effort to blunt the numerous Trump’s War<\/em> criticisms, and their authors, in preparation for the mid-term elections. Less noised about, but, again, within the realm of possibility, are satisfying his need, generated by the undeniable pathological narcissism<\/em> afflicting him, for acquiring public glory through conquering territory and growing the American Empire, such as it is. It might be successfully argued that the repetition is a little difficult to rationalize in this scenario.<\/p>\n But, to my mind, the explanation which covers the facts best was, and I apologize to long-term readers who tired of my repeated references, provided by Chad Bauman in 2020.<\/p>\n With diffuse roots but emerging most forcefully midway through the twentieth century in Pentecostal and charismatic circles, prosperity theology draws selectively on biblical passages (chief among them John 10:10, in which Jesus says, \u201cI am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly\u201d) to insist that God desires our physical and financial prosperity. Our task, in a phrase popularized by the movement (and its detractors), is to \u201cname it and claim it.\u201d …<\/p>\n The president\u2019s admiration for prosperity theology is\u00a0well-documented<\/a>. He was raised in Manhattan\u2019s Marble Collegiate Church, which was pastored by Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, whose\u00a0The Power of Positive Thinking<\/i>, was a key text in the prosperity movement and took the nation by storm. [Religion Dispatches<\/strong><\/em><\/a>]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Trump’s naming and claiming the Strait of Hormuz<\/em>, quite literally. If he does it enough, God will capsize to his desires and reward him. Yep, I do think he believes that. Or is, at least, so frankly desperate enough to take a shot at it.<\/p>\n Do I take Trump seriously in this matter? Not at all. No one else should. But we can expect some more empty-headed chanting from our morality-free President.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Steve Benen remains mystified by the habits of President Trump: \u201cWe totally control the Strait of Hormuz,\u201d Trump said. \u201cWe have control over it. Nobody else, only us.\u201d He added soon after, \u201cWe have total control over the Hormuz Strait right now. They don\u2019t have control. We have total control. \u2026 Continue reading ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/huewhite.com\/umb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/PXL_20230510_202502097.jpg?resize=216%2C288&ssl=1\")
<\/a>My bold.<\/p>\n