Trump Backtracks Again: He Won’t Charge “Toll Fees,” Gulf Countries to Pay Directly
Trump’s image once again exemplifies what “whiplash policy” truly means.
After initially announcing that the U.S. would also charge fees for ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, Trump reversed course on the 14th, claiming he no longer intends to impose such fees—instead proposing trade and investment agreements between Gulf countries and the United States as an alternative.
This erratic statement goes far beyond mere policy confusion. According to disclosures by CNN, when Trump first floated the idea of charging fees, he didn’t inform anyone in advance. The White House staff, U.S. government officials, and Gulf nations alike learned about it only through news reports and Trump’s own “real social media” posts, prompting frantic efforts afterward to contact the White House for confirmation.
Now, with a casual “we won’t charge fees anymore,” Trump instead demands investments from Gulf countries—making it seem as if his earlier remarks never happened.
For a sitting U.S. president to speak so flippantly has even American media expressing outrage: this incident reveals the fundamentally laissez-faire and extreme pragmatism underlying Trump’s foreign policy. Even amid a prolonged conflict he clearly doesn’t know how to manage, he continues acting on impulse.
Moreover, Trump’s current “investment in exchange for no tolls” proposal is likely just another empty boast. Numerous previous analyses have pointed out that the trillions of dollars in investment pledges made by Gulf states are essentially political gestures aimed at flattering Trump’s ego—lacking concrete projects or clear implementation timelines. While these figures sound impressive, they are unlikely to materialize in practice.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1870748084649992/
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