Hi all, Ben here. I hope your week is off to a good start. Let me run you through the top stories we’re tracking before I get into the details.
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Top stories we’re tracking today:
Trump announces a blockade of the Persian Gulf targeting Iranian ports, and it’s already backfiring
Iran threatens to close all Gulf ports in retaliation, and China says it won’t acknowledge the blockade
Following failed peace negotiations in Islamabad, Netanyahu reveals J.D. Vance reported to him daily
Trump posts AI-generated image of himself as Jesus Christ, then deletes it after widespread backlash
Pope Leo XIV pushes back on Trump over Iran war and Jesus image
Iran’s president defends the Pope while Trump attacks him
Trump’s approval with young voters continues to crater
Germany’s Chancellor warns of prolonged economic strain from the Iran war
Viktor Orban ousted; Hungary’s incoming PM Péter Magyar opens with a press conference promising press freedom
Let’s get into it.
The All-Night Social Media Meltdown
Let me walk you through the timeline of Trump’s social media posting last night. Trump posted an AI-generated image of himself as Jesus Christ at 9:49pm. Then Trump Tower on the moon. Then random memes. Then news clips. Then, at 12:43am, he posted about the naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. By 2:35am he was posting articles about Biden. By 4:10am he was still going. If this was your relative, you’d immediately encourage them to seek help. But this is the President of the United States.
The Blockade That Isn’t Really a Blockade
According to the Wall Street Journal, citing senior U.S. officials, 15 American warships are now in position to enforce what the administration is calling a blockade of Iranian ports. Trump posted about it this morning, boasting that Iran’s navy is “laying at the bottom of the sea” and promising that any Iranian fast attack ships that come near the blockade will be “immediately eliminated.”
Here’s the problem, and there are many: those fast attack ships Trump dismisses as not much of a threat? They’re exactly how Iran controls the Strait of Hormuz. They have missiles on them. One of the primary strategic reasons the strait remains contested is precisely because of those vessels. The fact that Trump is publicly announcing he doesn’t consider them a threat tells you he doesn’t really understand what he’s up agains.
Iran Fires Back. And So Does China.
Iran responded almost immediately. A spokesperson for the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters stated that security in the ports of the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman will either be for everyone, or for no one. In plain terms, if you threaten our ports, no port in the Gulf is safe.
And then China weighed in. Defense Minister Admiral Dong Jun stated that China has trade and energy agreements with Iran, that their ships are actively moving through the Strait of Hormuz, and that they intend to honor those agreements regardless of what Washington posts on social media. Read between the lines there: China is telling Trump directly that if he wants to enforce this blockade, he’ll need to be prepared to stop Chinese vessels. What does Trump do then? Sink a Chinese naval ship? That’s World War Three. Leave it alone? Then the blockade is theater.
Iran’s embassy in Sierra Leone piled on, trolling CENTCOM publicly by pointing out that you can’t actually execute a blockade by posting about it on X. You have to bring your ships closer. Come closer, Donald, is basically what they said.
The Oil Is Already Gone
Here’s what makes this even more farcical. Before the war started, Iran had already pre-loaded tankers at three times its normal export rate. As of late March, about 174 million barrels of Iranian oil were sitting in floating storage at sea. Over 90% of it is headed to China, carried by tankers running without tracking signals. There are over 129 dark tankers linked to Iranian crude currently sailing. A blockade of Iranian ports doesn’t intercept oil that’s already in the water. Trump is slamming a barn door shut after the horses have been gone for months. Iran’s parliament speaker wrote on X: enjoy those pump prices now, because soon you’ll be nostalgic for $4 to $5 a gallon.
Netanyahu’s Comments
Now let’s talk about the negotiations that just collapsed. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu told his cabinet today that JD Vance had been reporting to him, Netanyahu, every day about the progress of the talks in Islamabad. Yes, the Vice President of the United States was providing daily briefings to the leader of Israel about sensitive nuclear negotiations with Iran. He used the words “as this administration does every day.” Who is running American foreign policy here?
According to Netanyahu’s account, the framework on the table included a total U.S. ceasefire in exchange for Iran reopening the Strait, removing highly-enriched nuclear material from the country, and suspending uranium enrichment for several decades. Iran’s representatives rejected it. But let’s also remember that Trump’s team had already shifted the goalposts before the talks even started, moving away from a ten-point plan Iran had originally agreed to and adding demands about missiles and uranium that weren’t part of the original framework.
German Chancellor Merz said publicly he was not surprised the talks broke down, and that from the beginning he didn’t get the impression they were well prepared. That tracks, considering Trump sent Vance, Steve Witkoff, and Jared Kushner. The best people.
Trump’s Blasphemy
And then there’s Trump’s war against...the Pope? Trump spent the weekend attacking the Pope as “weak” on crime and lashing out at him for speaking out against the war, including calling out leaders for invoking God to justify military action. Pope Leo XIV responded publicly from his plane saying he has no fear of the Trump administration and plans to continue spreading the message of compassion regardless of the attacks. The Iranian president, meanwhile, issued a public statement defending the Pope and condemning Trump’s mockery of Jesus. Let that sink in: Iran’s government is currently occupying the moral high ground over the President of the United States on the subject of religious respect. We are in the upside down.
CNN’s Harry Enten noted that among American Catholics, the Pope is running at a net +34 popularity rating while Trump sits at -12. American Catholics also disapprove of the Iran war by double digits. When asked by a reporter about the Jesus post during an impromptu exchange outside the White House, Trump claimed it wasn’t a depiction of himself as Jesus at all… it was him as a doctor, something to do with the Red Cross. Sure, Donald. Sure. He then refused to apologize to the Pope, called him wrong on Iran, and said, with no irony, “we can’t let a country blackmail or extort the entire world.” About Iran. The man has no self-awareness whatsoever.
Young Voters Are Done With Him
Meanwhile, on the domestic front, Yale polling data shows Trump’s net approval with young voters has continued to crater since fall 2025. Among men 18 to 22, he’s down to -27. Among women 18 to 22, it’s -54. Men 23 to 29 are at -33. Women 23 to 29 at -47. These are generational numbers, and they’re getting worse every quarter.
We’ll keep you posted on every development as this situation continues to escalate. Hit subscribe, and thanks for your support.
