Trump can’t get his spelling ‘Straight’ in post bashing US allies over Hormuz refusal

Trump spelling mistakes rant targets UK, France over Hormuz refusal

Muhammad Asghar | GlobalBeat

Donald Trump misspelled “straight” as “strait” four times while attacking Britain and France for refusing to join a U.S. naval mission in the Strait of Hormuz.

The former president posted the errors on his Truth Social platform late Monday after the two allies declined Washington’s request.

Trump’s administration had sought European backing in 2019 when tensions spiked following Iranian seizures of commercial tankers. Current President Joe Biden has maintained economic pressure on Tehran even as allies pursue separate diplomatic channels.

British officials said the U.K. preferred a European-led maritime security effort. France cited similar reasoning. Both countries patrol the waterway under the European Maritime Awareness in the Strait of Hormuz (EMASOH) mission established in 2020.

British Defence Secretary Grant Shapps told reporters Tuesday that London coordinates “closely with Washington” but acts through its European framework. French Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné repeated that position in January, according to the foreign ministry.

Trump wrote: “Our so-called allies, UK and France, won’t go STRAIT with us in Hormuz — they want our protection but always go their own STRAIT way.” He repeated the spelling in three additional sentences.

The post collected 157,000 likes and 23,000 shares within 7 hours, according to platform data seen by Reuters. Trump’s account listed 6.6 million followers on Tuesday morning.

Social-media users mocked the typo. Comedian Stephen Colbert displayed the post on CBS Monday night, telling viewers, “The only thing strait is the space between Donald Trump and a dictionary.”

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre declined to comment on Trump’s spelling. She told reporters that Biden “values allied cooperation” in the Gulf.

The U.S. Fifth Fleet, headquartered in Bahrain, has escorted American-flagged merchant vessels since July 2019. About 21 percent of global petroleum transits the 34-kilometre-wide strait, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Markets showed little reaction. Brent crude futures slipped 0.4 percent to $85.91 per barrel Tuesday afternoon in London, analysts at IG said.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards seized the British-flagged Stena Impero tanker in July 2019 after the U.K. detained an Iranian vessel near Gibraltar. Each side later released the ships.

Trump approved a 2019 cyber strike against Iranian military computers but canceled conventional airstrikes at the last minute, former defense officials told Reuters at the time.

## Background

The United States has led an international naval coalition in the Gulf since 1987 when re-flagged Kuwaiti vessels came under Iranian attack during the Iran-Iraq war. Britain and France participated actively.

Tensions resurfaced in 2018 when Trump withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal and re-imposed sanctions. Tehran responded by harassing commercial ships near its coast.

Britain, France and Germany launched EMASOH in January 2020 to ensure “freedom of navigation” while keeping distance from U.S. sanctions policy, officials said.

## What’s Next

The Biden administration will renew funding requests for the Gulf maritime security program in the 2025 defense budget due on Capitol Hill next month. Congressional aides expect debate over whether allies contribute enough.

Trump leads early polls for the 2024 Republican nomination. Advisers told NBC he plans daily social-media posts to maintain visibility.