Fact Check: Did Trump vow to open Hormuz in a week if Republicans won the midterms?
WASHINGTON, DC: Ahead of the much-anticipated midterm elections in November, a rumor spread on social media claiming that President Donald Trump, in an online post, promised to open the Strait of Hormuz, end the Russia-Ukraine conflict, bring gas prices down, and make other sweeping changes if Republicans won the election. The claim has prompted a fact-check into the rumor.
The alleged post was shared as a screenshot that appeared to show Trump making several promises tied to a Republican victory in the midterm elections, including opening Hormuz within one week and giving every American $5,000.
Claim: Donald Trump made sweeping promises if Republicans won midterms
The rumor surfaced in the form of a screenshot claiming to show a post by Trump on his official Truth Social handle.
The alleged post stated, “If the Republicans beat the radical, low-IQ Dumbocrats in the Midterm Elections, I will give EVERY American $5,000, open Hormuz within ONE WEEK, end the Russia/Ukraine war with a SINGLE phone call..."
"...bring gas prices down to $2/gallon, destroy Inflation, cut Interest Rates to 1%, eliminate the Deficit, replace failed Obamacare with a BEAUTIFUL healthcare plan, and resolve EVERY trade issue in our Great Country's favor!"
"We will invoice Mexico for EVERY DIME of our Big, Beautiful Wall, pardon Biden and his family for all their horrible Crimes, supercharge the US Dollar, finish our Majestic Ballroom with ZERO taxpayer funding, and personally pay for ALL the repairs to the Trump-Kennedy Center! VOTE REPUBLICAN TO WIN AGAIN!”
While many appeared to believe the post to be authentic, others dismissed it as fake and called for a fact check.
Fact Check: No such post exists on Donald Trump's social media
The claim, however, is false, as no such post exists on any of Trump's social media accounts. A search of his Truth Social handle, as well as commentary X accounts that automatically archive all his Truth Social posts, yielded no results.
If Trump had really made such a post, it would likely have received coverage from prominent news media outlets, but a search on Google for the claim yielded no such results.
Moreover, the screenshot includes several signs of fabrication and indications of satire, including a watermark stating, ‘Mrs Putin Satire,’ and Trump's username stated as ‘@realDotardTrump,’ while his actual username is ‘@realDonaldTrump.’
Donald Trump's $5,000 midterm promise
The claim surfaced after Trump promised $5,000 to every adult American if the GOP won the elections.
"Here is my promise: If the Republicans win the House of Representatives and the United States Senate, both of them, because of our tremendous economic success, I will issue a dividend to every adult citizen in the United States of America for $5,000," Trump said.
The statement was separate from the claims made in the viral screenshot. While Trump did publicly discuss a $5,000 payment tied to a Republican victory, there is no evidence that he made the additional promises listed in the screenshot, including opening the Strait of Hormuz within one week and ending the Russia-Ukraine war with a single phone call.
