Drudge Retort: The Other Side of the News
Tuesday, July 14, 2026

CNN has reported that 24 hours after proposing it, US President Donald Trump drops his demand for a 20% toll for cargo going through the Strait of Hormuz.

More

Alternate links: Google News | Twitter

1. On at least two dozen occasions since the outset of the war Trump has declared that the Strait of Hormuz was "open" or controlled by the United States. The Strait of Hormuz is not open. The U.S. does not control the Strait of Hormuz.

[image or embed]

-- Judd Legum (@juddlegum.bsky.social) 10:54 AM · Jul 14, 2026

Comments

Admin's note: Participants in this discussion must follow the site's moderation policy. Profanity will be filtered. Abusive conduct is not allowed.

That was quick.

#1 | Posted by reinheitsgebot at 2026-07-14 11:39 AM | Reply

Trump is negotiating with the voices in his head.

#2 | Posted by ClownShack at 2026-07-14 11:52 AM | Reply | Funny: 1 | Newsworthy 2

Mist be a record time Trump Turn- Around.

#3 | Posted by Doc_Sarvis at 2026-07-14 11:57 AM | Reply

Trump is negotiating with the voices in his head.

#2 | POSTED BY CLOWNSHACK

Those voices are increasingly all he listens to.

Unless he is properly medicated, the man's speech next Thursday is going to be crazy. In the literal sense.

#4 | Posted by Zed at 2026-07-14 11:59 AM | Reply

This, folks, is the President of the United States:

Donald J. Trump
@realDonaldTrump
Oil is flowing like never before, thanks to the awesome Power of the United States Military. A special salute to Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Dan Caine, and Commander of the United States Central Command, Admiral Brad Cooper. Because of them, and all members of the Most Powerful Military anywhere in the World, BY FAR, the Strait of Hormuz is open to ALL Ship traffic except for Iran " and that is because of their lying, violent, malicious leadership, which is taking them down the path of TOTAL DESTRUCTION. We will therefore have a FULL Blockade, but only on Ships coming to and from Iranian ports, or carrying anything have to do with Iranian cargo. Based on highly productive conversations with Middle East leadership, I have decided to replace the 20% United States Reimbursement Fee with Trade and Investment Deals that the various Gulf States will be making into the United States. Those Investments will be MASSIVE but, at the same time, extraordinarily good for them, and their future. As everyone is aware, we have the largest Dollar Investment into the United States, of any Country in History, but these new Investments will make that Number even larger, and we will see Factories, Plants, and Equipment pour into the United States at Historic levels, which will create additional millions of High Paying AMERICAN Jobs! America is WINNING again, winning like never before. The days of Iran killing hundreds of thousands of people, including 52,000 protestors, are OVER and, most importantly, IRAN WILL NEVER HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON! Thank you for your attention to this matter. President DONALD J. TRUMP
https:
//truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116918941071241802

There, problem solved.

#5 | Posted by Doc_Sarvis at 2026-07-14 12:01 PM | Reply | Newsworthy 6

Each day, at the break of dawn, Satan awakens, takes a simple breakfast of sugared fetuses w/ milk, rapes his favorite 3 year old sex slave, mangles a few dozen puppies on a lark, and laments that he'll never be as evil as Donald J. Trump.

#6 | Posted by NerfHerder at 2026-07-14 12:07 PM | Reply | Funny: 1 | Newsworthy 3

Re 5

Unbelievable actually.

Don't let these shakes go on
It's time we had a break from it
It's time we had some leave
We've been living in the flames
We've been eating up our brains
Oh, please, don't let these shakes go on"

How long will these shakes go on?

As long as The People continue to allow it.

#7 | Posted by donnerboy at 2026-07-14 12:18 PM | Reply

Unless he is properly medicated, the man's speech next Thursday is going to be crazy. In the literal sense.
#4 | POSTED BY ZED

So it'll be something about something about Iran and how swimmingly things are going in the wake of our glorious victory at the Battle of Pistachio Flats, commies are trying to steal the election like they weren't able to do until MAGAJesus oozed back into the White House, smart Uncle John and the nuclear, wind turbines and birds, stock market up (especially if you're an inside trader), and all the other usual and unusual rubbish associated with a tired, old act for which the general, bored response these days seems to be: "Oh, for chrissakes, give him the hook."

(Ratings could be interesting.)

#8 | Posted by Doc_Sarvis at 2026-07-14 12:24 PM | Reply

the man's speech next Thursday

What speech is that? I thought you guys do everything on Tuesdays?

#9 | Posted by REDIAL at 2026-07-14 01:25 PM | Reply

@#5 ... Oil is flowing like never before ...

130 ships per day are passing through the Strait?

#10 | Posted by LampLighter at 2026-07-14 02:18 PM | Reply | Funny: 1

#6

Amen!

#11 | Posted by Corky at 2026-07-14 02:30 PM | Reply

Trump while Iran is attacking US military bases: "Iran just called me begging for a deal".

#12 | Posted by Derek_Wildstar at 2026-07-15 12:42 PM | Reply

Notice the Rightwingers are hiding from this thread.

#13 | Posted by Sycophant at 2026-07-15 05:05 PM | Reply

Sy,

I'm not exactly what I would call a "rightwinger" however folks here say I am.

From my perspective it appears Iran is being bombed daily.

On a daily basis its wait and see what Iran says or does next.

Eventually they're be huddled in a corner somewhere yelling "I dare you. Allah is going to come to our aid....soon....pretty soon....eventually".

#14 | Posted by BillJohnson at 2026-07-16 06:51 AM | Reply

Sy,

You talk like you have exclusive information.

It's really just looking like liberals are screaming, "Trump is going to fail....soon...pretty soon....eventually."

#15 | Posted by BillJohnson at 2026-07-16 06:54 AM | Reply

Sy,

All the while to the chagrin of both Iran and US Progressives, Trump is hammering away.

#16 | Posted by BillJohnson at 2026-07-16 06:57 AM | Reply

Pick up a copy of Abbas Araghchi's The Power of Negotiation: Principles and Rules of Political and Diplomatic Negotiations. give it a whirl, and maybe you will perceive how/why Trump lost the war he started and is still losing it. Such a loser.

#17 | Posted by Doc_Sarvis at 2026-07-16 06:57 AM | Reply

Doc,

We'll see.

Should I assume you're putting your money on Iran?

#18 | Posted by BillJohnson at 2026-07-16 07:03 AM | Reply

Bill, I'm attempting to add some perspective to Trump's War of Choice against the detestable Iranian regime. Are you familiar with Crassus, an ancient Roman real estate mogul and pol who also thought the folks he knew as "Parthians" sucked him in, removed his head, and reportedly used it as a prop in a play. If not, it's a tale well worth looking into; if you're already familiar, perhaps some revisiting? Yes, I know, history does not repeat. But it often ripples and sometimes echoes due to circumstances and human behaviors, so there's that. Trump clearly has no idea who he is dealing with.

"If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle."
Sun Tzu, The Art of War

#19 | Posted by Doc_Sarvis at 2026-07-16 07:13 AM | Reply | Newsworthy 1

Edit: "who also thought he'd figured out the folks he knew as "Parthians," who sucked him in.."

#20 | Posted by Doc_Sarvis at 2026-07-16 07:17 AM | Reply

Trump is hammering away.
#16 | POSTED BY BILLJOHNSON

Using his head to hammer a rusty nail into a concrete slab.

#21 | Posted by Doc_Sarvis at 2026-07-16 07:19 AM | Reply

Doc,

Are you saying Iran will simply refuse to agree to any of Trump's terms and win?

And as long as Iran refuses to capitulate, you believe it can maintain control of the Strait of Hormuz...for now...or perhaps indefinitely?

Just dig in their heals and that's all they'll need to do?

#22 | Posted by BillJohnson at 2026-07-16 07:34 AM | Reply

Doc,

Again...I ask...are you willing to bet on Iran?

Are you so sure?

#23 | Posted by BillJohnson at 2026-07-16 07:35 AM | Reply

Hi again Doc Sarvis:

There are plenty of "detestable" regimes in the world -- including the Trumpf junta -- but the US is not attacking them: North Korea, Israel, Russia, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, the Sudan.

Saudi Arabia beheaded 356 prisoners last year -- mostly migrants under drug-trafficking charges: drudge.com

What makes Iran so "detestable?"

That they are a police state like Amerikkka or North Korea?

That their theocracy is opposed to the slaughter of defenseless Muslims in Gaza, the West Bank, Syria, or Lebanon?

Persia hasn't invaded a country since Xerxes I, hundreds of years before the birth of Christ.

The Iranian theocracy has been on the defensive since 1979, counter-attacking Israel's various aggressions.

The Sabra and Shatila Massacres in Beirut gave birth to Lebanese Hezbollah in 1982.

Meanwhile, the Israeli Death Forces (IDF) -- a uniformed horde of mass murderers -- have slaughtered at least 75,000 Gazans (per the Lancet) and maniac "Settlers" have killed over 1,000 Palestinians in the West Bank since 7 Oct 2023 -- the beginning of the Likud retribution pogrom -- all funded with our taxpayer dollars.

That is detestable.

I hope nefarious Trumpf junta apparatchiks or Faux News holograms don't start using the nuanced word "detestable" for Cuba, Canada, or Greenland.

#24 | Posted by C0RI0LANUS at 2026-07-16 07:43 AM | Reply

Doc,

I hope historians will write about Trump as the president who accomplished what others never could.

Quoting history books won't save Iran or determine how this conflict ends.

#25 | Posted by BillJohnson at 2026-07-16 07:43 AM | Reply

Cor,

You've made a long list of accusations.

But what exactly is the main point you're trying to establish?

#26 | Posted by BillJohnson at 2026-07-16 07:50 AM | Reply

All the while to the chagrin of both Iran and US Progressives, Trump is hammering away.

#16 | Posted by BillJohnson

With a Soldier of Fortune magazine, a rag, and a bottle of lotion nearby.

#27 | Posted by Dbt2 at 2026-07-16 07:54 AM | Reply

Are you saying Iran will simply refuse to agree to any of Trump's terms and win?
And as long as Iran refuses to capitulate, you believe it can maintain control of the Strait of Hormuz...for now...or perhaps indefinitely?
Just dig in their heals and that's all they'll need to do?

Posted by BillJohnson at 2026-07-16 07:34 AM | Reply

I like Obama trust them more than I do Trump. Full stop

#28 | Posted by LauraMohr at 2026-07-16 07:56 AM | Reply

You talk like you have exclusive information.
It's really just looking like liberals are screaming, "Trump is going to fail....soon...pretty soon....eventually."

Posted by BillJohnson at 2026-07-16 06:54 AM | Reply

Trump has already failed. You're just not getting it. Just sayin

#29 | Posted by LauraMohr at 2026-07-16 08:01 AM | Reply | Newsworthy 1

Again...I ask...are you willing to bet on Iran?
Are you so sure?

#23 | Posted by BillJohnson

Presumably you are steadfast in your thinking that Trump is a rational actor.

I am sure he is not. The Iranians have a more consistent approach to anything than Trump. That is a very low bar.

What makes you so certain that Trump is a rational international presence?

#30 | Posted by Dbt2 at 2026-07-16 08:08 AM | Reply

Are you saying Iran will simply refuse to agree to any of Trump's terms and win?

And as long as Iran refuses to capitulate, you believe it can maintain control of the Strait of Hormuz...for now...or perhaps indefinitely?

Just dig in their heals and that's all they'll need to do?

#22 | Posted by BillJohnson

You're catching on, BILL. You're catching on.

#31 | Posted by Zed at 2026-07-16 08:20 AM | Reply | Newsworthy 1

#22 | Posted by BillJohnson

Donald Trump isn't fighting Iran, BILL. He's fighting geography.

Now, don't sit there and pretend that the man has even spent five minutes of his life considering the subject.

Even an ugly mind is an ugly thing to waste.

#32 | Posted by Zed at 2026-07-16 08:22 AM | Reply

22 | Posted by BillJohnson

You think that if Trump yells, and spits, and glowers at Iran, that's the key to winning a war.

That's just the things he does to impress MAGA, BILL, because it works on you.

But don't give up hope. There's always the real chance Trump will use nukes.

Oh, happy day.

#33 | Posted by Zed at 2026-07-16 08:25 AM | Reply

I hope historians will write about Trump as the president who accomplished what others never could.

#25 | Posted by BillJohnson

What historians will write about Trump is what we are seeing now: That he can't wipe his ass using both hands.

#34 | Posted by Zed at 2026-07-16 08:27 AM | Reply

Just dig in their heals and that's all they'll need to do?

I think the Iranian people fully understand the gravity of their struggle.
They know that it took enslaved Africans dozens upon dozens of generations and hundreds of years of continuous abuse, rape and murder by white christian slaveholders in order to achieve freedom, and they seemed fully prepared for their own protracted struggle against the current white Christian supremacists that are now trying to turn back the clock to do the same .

#35 | Posted by NerfHerder at 2026-07-16 08:54 AM | Reply

-I think the Iranian people fully understand the gravity of their struggle.

I hope they do but I'm in no position to know.

What makes you think they fully understand it?

#36 | Posted by eberly at 2026-07-16 08:56 AM | Reply

Are you saying Iran will simply refuse to agree to any of Trump's terms and win?
And as long as Iran refuses to capitulate, you believe it can maintain control of the Strait of Hormuz...for now...or perhaps indefinitely?
Just dig in their heals and that's all they'll need to do?

#22 | Posted by BillJohnson

Yes, that is correct.

You don't get it Bill; Iran controls the strait. There is no going back. Even in best of circumstances all they have to do is threaten action and poof traffic stops

You fail to understand that we lost. Iran won.

It is one of the most lopsided strategic victories in a long time.

Try, real hard, to put yourself in Iran's shoes.

3 times Piggy has backed out of an agreement, the second two times with violence

The last time with a cowardly sneak attack.

We murdered their leader with a cowardly bombing.

We murdered the more centrist elements of the regime

Piggy threatened to murder their negotiators

Piggy threatened to end their civilization.

Why would ANYONE agree to ANYTHING with Piggy.

Let alone give up something with the value of controlling the strait and with zero upside.

Seriously, what is the upside for Iran to agree to anything with Piggy?

The ONLY card Piggy has is to cease bombing

But if Iran gives up control of the strait, nothing prevents Piggy from coming back and bombing them months or years from now

And, shit, just this week Piggy showed he acts at the whims of the ME dictators who told him in no uncertain terms he isn't putting a toll on the strait

You need to wrap your head around the fact that we lost, unequivocably

And we deserve to suffer

This is the new normal. Get used to it.

#37 | Posted by truthhurts at 2026-07-16 09:02 AM | Reply | Newsworthy 1

"What makes you think they fully understand it?"

Because they are Shi'a. I'd recommend reading a little about the history of the Shi'a and then get back to me.

#38 | Posted by NerfHerder at 2026-07-16 09:11 AM | Reply | Newsworthy 1

Iran is a country of 93m people with an experienced military and security apparatus, heirs to the Savak and therefore CIA-trained.

The Iranians became expert at asymmetric warfare operations and hence their success against ISIS in Syria and Iraq.

Iran is ranked 16 out of 145 countries in the Global Firepower Index (GFI).

Iran is a top ten global producer of oil and natural gas.

Oil-poor Israel of 10m people (7.7m Israeli Jews) is ranked 15.

Regarding US military morale in this quagmire which is bankrupting the US Treasury and further depriving Americans of inching closer to universal healthcare as enjoyed by Israelis, Germans, Spaniards, Canadians, 95% of Iranians, Cubans, Greenlanders, Albanians, and in 2027, Mexicans, from the Interweb:

"US military morale is reportedly extremely low following a 40-day war against Iran that ended in a ceasefire.

Active-duty US personnel have expressed disillusionment with the Trumpf junta's war strategy and its perceived lack of purpose other than helping Israel.

Troops are concerned that the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has emerged from the conflict with more regional control than before.

The 40-day military campaign is described as a strategic failure that effectively backfired against US interests."

Source: GFI.com

#39 | Posted by C0RI0LANUS at 2026-07-16 09:12 AM | Reply | Newsworthy 1

39.

Are you trying to make a point?

Asking for BillJohnson

Thx

#40 | Posted by Dbt2 at 2026-07-16 09:19 AM | Reply

I use *Killfile* for a reason.

Anyways, I am deciding between reading "On the Beach" by Nevil Chute, "The Epic of Gilgamesh," or a Dorothy Sayers mystery.

So to decide, I'll flip my three-sided coin.

Too many books, not enough time.

#41 | Posted by C0RI0LANUS at 2026-07-16 09:31 AM | Reply

Trump is hammering away

Deficit keeps on rising/Bombs keep on falling/Corruption keeps on raging/meet the new boss/same as the old boss

#42 | Posted by lee_the_agent at 2026-07-16 09:37 AM | Reply

-Because they are Shi'a. I'd recommend reading a little about the history of the Shi'a and then get back to me.

Admittingly, I haven't studied on that.

Since 1979, we've seen the same scenes on TV. revolution, oppressive regimes, The US hated because we enrich their oppressors.

But you make a solid suggestion.

#43 | Posted by eberly at 2026-07-16 10:08 AM | Reply

I'm not exactly what I would call a "rightwinger"

POSTED BY BILLJOHNSON

?

#44 | Posted by Zed at 2026-07-16 10:09 AM | Reply

The following HTML tags are allowed in comments: a href, b, i, p, br, ul, ol, li and blockquote. Others will be stripped out. Participants in this discussion must follow the site's moderation policy. Profanity will be filtered. Abusive conduct is not allowed.

Anyone can join this site and make comments. To post this comment, you must sign it with your Drudge Retort username. If you can't remember your username or password, use the lost password form to request it.
Username:
Password:

Home | Breaking News | Comments | User Blogs | Stats | Back Page | RSS Feed | RSS Spec | DMCA Compliance | Privacy

Drudge Retort