'Doing the right thing': Rep Donalds doubles down on Trump's 'all or nothing' Hormuz blockade gambit
WASHINGTON, DC: Rep Byron Donalds on Sunday, April 12, expressed support for President Donald Trump following the president’s announcement of a US blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
The Florida Republican said Trump’s actions were aimed at restoring control over the key global shipping route.
The comments came after Trump outlined a broad strategy to interdict vessels linked to Iranian toll payments. The development follows the collapse of recent US-Iran talks and continued tensions in the region.
Byron Donalds says Trump is right about Hormuz
Speaking on NBC News’ 'Meet the Press', Donalds said he believes Trump is making a calculated decision regarding the strategic waterway. He stated that the president is “doing the right thing” in attempting to manage access to the Strait of Hormuz.
According to Donalds, the move is intended to allow the United States to “establish that control” over the passage, while also facilitating a return to normal maritime operations.
He pointed to Trump’s comments about the US Navy working to remove mines from the Strait, saying the goal is to ensure “an orderly return to the Strait of Hormuz being open.”
“The president, I believe, is doing the right thing, trying to control the Strait, possibly in order to open that up for international water, so you can have trade move freely, not just in that region, but for the rest of the world,” Donalds said.
The Strait of Hormuz is a critical global chokepoint through which a significant portion of the world’s oil supply passes. Recent tensions, including threats and restrictions linked to Iran, have disrupted shipping and raised concerns about global energy markets.
Trump outlines 'all or nothing' blockade approach
Trump detailed his decision to impose a blockade during an interview on Fox’s 'Sunday Morning Futures', describing the move as comprehensive. “There'll be a time when we'll have them all come in, and all come out,” he said, referring to vessels transiting the Strait.
“But it won't be a percentage. It won't be a friend of yours, like a country that's your ally or a country that's your friend,” he continued. “It's all or nothing, and that'll be, that won't be in too long a distance.”
The president also criticized Iran’s reported practice of charging vessels for passage through parts of the Strait. “We're not going to let Iran make money on selling oil to people that they like and not people that they don't like, or whatever it is,” he said.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump announced that the United States Navy would begin enforcing the blockade immediately.
“Effective immediately, the United States Navy, the Finest in the World, will begin the process of BLOCKADING any and all Ships trying to enter, or leave, the Strait of Hormuz,” he wrote.
He added that the Navy had been instructed to “seek and interdict every vessel in International Waters that has paid a toll to Iran,” stating: “No one who pays an illegal toll will have safe passage on the high seas.”
