Donald Trump is taking heat from all sides after floating an idea that critics say sounds less like foreign policy and more like a business deal gone off the rails.
Just days after threatening catastrophic consequences against Iran, Trump is now suggesting the United States could partner with Tehran to collect shipping tolls in the Strait of Hormuz—and even take a cut of the profits.
During a conversation with ABC News correspondent Jonathan Karl, Trump tried to frame the proposal as a win.
“We’re thinking of doing it as a joint venture. It’s a way of securing it — also securing it from lots of other people,” Trump said. “It’s a beautiful thing.”
The idea comes out of his administration’s recently announced two-week ceasefire with Iran, which already raised eyebrows among experts for appearing to give Tehran significant leverage—including the ability to collect tolls from ships passing through the critical waterway.
Instead of pushing back on that concession, Trump is now floating the possibility of getting in on it.
That didn’t go over well.
Columnist Michael A. Cohen fired back bluntly: “Counterpoint: It’s not a beautiful thing.”
Others were even more direct.
“Dude is insane. 25th amendment,” wrote Mehdi Hasan.
Political scientist Christopher Clary questioned the broader implications of Trump’s thinking.
“Are we gonna do joint ventures for tollbooths at all the major global straits — Malacca, Gibraltar, etc — or are joint ventures possible only if we have a costly war first with the littoral states?” he asked.
And for some, the whiplash in Trump’s messaging was the real story.
Sarah Longwell summed it up: “Trump went from ‘we’re going to wipe Iran off the map’ to ‘maybe we’re going into business with them’ literally overnight.”
That sudden pivot—from threats of destruction to talk of joint ventures—is fueling criticism that the administration’s approach lacks consistency.
Damon Linker didn’t hold back either.
“The truly amazing thing is that there are people in the world who will believe this line of [expletive]. There truly is a sucker born every minute,” he wrote.
From threats to partnership, the shift is raising eyebrows and drawing ridicule in equal measure.
