TJ Walker argues Trump's Iran blockade pushed oil above $120 per barrel by threatening the Strait of Hormuz, where 20% of global oil flows. Gas prices hit $4.30, and shipping costs are spiking across food, air travel, and manufacturing. Walker says lifting the blockade would solve it, but Trump's ego won't allow it.
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Ultimise oil prices. Oil just blew past $120 a barrel, and there's nothing mysterious about why. This is Donald Trump's mess. He decided to escalate and maintain a blockade tied to Iran, and it's put the Strait of Hormuz, one of the most important oil routes on Earth, under pressure. Normally, about one-fifth of global oil supply flows through that narrow passage. You mess with that, you don't get a gentle price increase, you get a spike. Gas prices are already jumping around $4.30 a gallon, rising fast in just the past few days. That's not random, that's policy hitting your wallet. People keep asking, why is gas so expensive all of a sudden? Because Donald Trump is running global energy policy like it's a bar fight. You've got one of the most important oil checkpoints in the world, and instead of carefully managing it, he's in there chest bumping, escalating, refusing to back down. He's like the guy who flips a table at Applebee's and then wonders why the bill's higher. Here's the genius part. Every time he refuses to de-escalate, oil traders go, "Oh, this guy again," and they jack up prices immediately. So yeah, Congratulations, you're not just buying gas anymore, you're sponsoring a geopolitical ego contest. And spoiler alert, ego contests don't come with coupons. And here's what makes this even more absurd. There actually is a simple way to ease this problem. Economists like Paul Krugman point out that both sides could just step back, end the blockade, reopen the shipping lanes, and let oil flow again. That's it. You don't have a grand deal, no complicated negotiation, just stop. Goodman's phrase is basically this: the only deal available is no deal. And that's exactly why it's not happening, because it requires something Trump has never demonstrated the ability to do or to say: I went too far. Here's the real reason your gas bill feels like a car payment: because fixing this would require Donald Trump to admit he made a mistake. And asking Trump to admit a mistake is like asking a casino to admit you're up money. It's just not a part of their business model. So instead, the standoff drags on. Oil goes up, gas goes up, everything gets more expensive. And the wildest part, the solution is sitting right there. Everyone can see it, but it's being blocked by the one thing more expensive than oil right now— Trump's ego. Now zoom out for a moment because this doesn't stop at the pump. Higher oil prices ripple through everything— food, flights, shipping, manufacturing. Economists are already warning inflation could get worse before it improves, and global growth is slowing because of it. This is how one decision spreads through an entire economy. And if you step back, this was about as predictable as it gets. Putting someone with a long history of escalating conflicts, refusing to ever compromise, doubling down on losing positions in charge of a delicate global energy situation. It's like hiring a guy who's crashed 5 cars and saying, this time he'll be great in Formula One. You don't get precision, you get chaos at high speed. A lot of people were promised lower prices by Trump, better deal, stronger outcomes, but global markets don't run on promises. They run on stability, and when stability disappears, especially in something as critical as oil, prices go up immediately. So what's actually happening right now? It's simple. Donald Trump escalated a situation involving one of the most critical oil routes in the world. He refuses to back down, and markets are reacting exactly the way you'd expect. That's why oil is now over $120 a barrel, and that's why gas prices are rising fast, and that's why this isn't getting fixed anytime soon. Not because it's complicated, because it's predictable. And apologies to anyone, I don't mean to go out and offend anyone, but I'm sorry, if you voted for this man, there is blood on your hands, or at least expensive oil on your hands. This is a guy who has bankrupted virtually every company he's ever touched, has looted companies he's touched, has stiffed everyone around him, Everyone seems to forget the fact that in Trump's first term, more jobs were lost than during any other presidential term since Herbert Hoover. Everyone seems to forget that's not politically correct to me. Oh, TJ, you can't mention that, there was COVID. And yet the very same people who say you can't hold Trump accountable for anything because of COVID are the very first ones to say Well, under COVID there was inflation. Under Biden, you can't have it both ways. This guy's a massive screw-up. And if you bought the idea that he was going to reduce prices, well, you're paying for it and you're paying for it big time. Look, nobody likes to admit they made a mistake. I don't like to admit I made a mistake, but at some point you got to admit you made a mistake. This guy's an unmitigated disaster of epic proportion, and the sooner he is relieved from duties, the better off we all are. I'm— ultimise.
