He’s been subtly – or subtly for him – dropping hints about what he thinks is going to happen in the Iran peace talks, and to me it doesn’t seem like he’s optimistic. Here’s everything you need to know
Donald Trump returned to Washington from a weekend at Camp David last night, with advice ringing in his ear.
He’s been subtly – or subtly for him – dropping hints about what he thinks is going to happen in the Iran peace talks, and to me it doesn’t seem like he’s optimistic. He keeps talking about what’s going to happen if the talks fall apart – with one potential option taking up a lot of his thoughts. He seems to like the idea of charging people for using the Strait of Hormuz – as a sort of toll to pay for being “the guardian angels” of the Middle East. This would, of course, be absolutely unacceptable to pretty much every country in the world. He appears to have been given this idea – or at least encouraged to think about the idea – by Senator Lindsey Graham, who has been whispering some of the all time worst advice in Trump’s ear for the duration of the conflict. He’s reportedly the guy who talked him into dropping bombs in the first place.
And later he encouraged him to invade Kharg Island, advice Trump thankfully did not take. And wouldn’t you know it, Graham has been talking to Trump again. He claims to have spent four and a half hours talking to him on Friday – and told CBS News’ Face The Nation he thinks the peace talks are going to fail. His plan, he said, would be to start charging a toll on the strait – and if Iran starts to resist that, “obliterate” them.
This advice seems to fundamentally misunderstand what has been happening in Iran over the last few months. The US blockade wasn’t the only thing stopping ships from sailing the strait – it was the risk of Iranian mines and missiles – and that’s what kept the two sides in a stalemate.
Lindsey Graham loves being the last person in Trump’s ear. He knows that person is the most powerful person in the world. But egad, Lindsey, you have to pay attention.
- Meanwhile in Trumpworld
- Trump kind of pre-announced Keir Starmer’s resignation
- He threatened to invade Iran, again
- He had a meltdown at the New York Times
- Sad news from the reflecting pool
- Trump’s guy looks to be winning in Colombia
Here’s everything you need to know
Trump kind of pre-announced Keir Starmer’s resignation
Donald Trump started the day in Camp David, playing on his phone as usual. And I’m going to guess he had either a phone call with someone from Britain, or watched a newspaper that mentioned Keir Starmer, because out of the blue he posted: “Keir Starmer will resign.”
Now, some people over here were quite affronted by this, imagining presumably that Trump had some kind of inside knowledge – when in reality he just half heard something about the PM, over-interpreted it and posted it on social media without checking whether it was true. Maybe he is a normal person after all.
He threatened to invade Iran. Again
The Iran peace talks are going about as smoothly as you might expect. Both leaders appear to thing the most productive way forward is by publicly provoking their counterpart.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian declared yesterday that “we will never back down from the right to enrich uranium, and the other side is also forced to accept it.”
In response, Trump, in a telephone interview with (who else?) Fox News, warned that the Iranian president should watch what he says and threatened to take over Iran.
JD Vance, who has been handed a real hospital pass with this one, has said he planned to be in Switzerland for “a day or two,” leaving much of the detailed negotiations to be led by Witkoff and Kushner. Unfortunately for him, only sticking around for some of it isn’t likely to rid him of the stench of this war when it comes to the 2028 primary.
Trump had a meltdown at the New York Times for not appreciating how well he bombed Iran
Trump continues to be upset that the media is factually reporting the reality of the world, rather than solely writing things that make him look powerful and macho and handsome.
Once again, he’s upset with the “corrupt, failing” New York Times. For the record, the Times is neither. The Grey Lady made an adjusted operating profit of $550 million in 2025, a 21% increase on the previous year. It’s a real success story in the print media industry.
Anyway, Trump doesn’t like how they’ve been reporting the Iran war – particularly an article entitled: “What Changed After Almost Four Months of War? Analysts Say Not Much.” – and which notes that the main threats perceived by the US and Israel from Iran, nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles, have not been totally eliminated. And the Strait of Hormuz’s opening times have been more erratic than a provincial antique shop.
He posted on Truth Social: “The headline in the Corrupt and Failing New York Times: “What Changed After Almost 4 Months of War? Analysts Say Not Much.” REALLY? Their Military is DONE, their Navy is GONE, their Air Force is GONE, their Launching Pads, Missiles, Drones and Manufacturing of same, is almost GONE, their top two sets of Leaders are GONE, their Inflation is at 250%, their Economy is BROKEN, their Soldiers aren’t being paid, the Hormuz Strait is OPEN, THE OIL IS GUSHING, and the U.S. Stock Market and Jobs are at record HIGHS. That’s what’s CHANGED, you corrupt and unethical cowards, and MORE!!! President DJT”
Sad news from the reflecting pool
Speaking of the Strait of Hormuz, I went back to visit the second most heavily defended waterway in the world yesterday – the Lincoln Reflecting Pool. It’s still pretty green in places, but round the edge you can now see quite clearly all the way to the bottom. And hoo boy, the peeling is much worse than it originally looked. There is now cracking in the pool lining along a significant stretch of the North side – the same side where a segment detached and started flapping in the wind at the surface. I saw no evidence of foul play. It didn’t look torn or cut.
Anyway, there was also some sad news – there is a lovely, quite large family of ducks hanging around the pool the last week or so. Sadly one of them was found floating in the pond, deceased yesterday. There’s no indication of the cause of death – maybe it was algae, maybe it was hydrogen peroxide, or whatever it is that Trump imagines Antifa have been pouring in there in the dead of night. It could also have been the hot weather – it’s been 35 degrees plus in DC for most of the last week. Either way, RIP little fella.
Trump’s guy looks to be winning in Colombia
Political outsider Abelardo de la Espriella held a razor-thin lead in Colombia’s presidential election with nearly all the votes counted Sunday, in a runoff vote marked by people’s fears of a renewed internal conflict.
A victory by de la Espriella would effectively be an indictment of the policies of outgoing President Gustavo Petro, whose protégé had promised to continue his agenda if he defeated his rival.
De la Espriella, a business owner and lawyer who earned U.S. President Donald Trump’s endorsement despite never having run for office, led progressive lawmaker Iván Cepeda taking 49.7% of the votes, with 99.9% of the results released by electoral authorities. Cepeda, Petro’s ally, earned 48.7% support. Election officials have not formally announced a winner.
Celebrating his guy’s apparently quite narrow victory, Trump of course posted: “He won, BIG!” (To be clear, he did not win big.)