Trump threatened – After a White House Cabinet meeting Q&A on Wednesday, President Donald Trump said the Strait of Hormuz would remain open to all and warned Oman, a longtime U.S. partner, that it would be “blow[n] up” if it didn’t “behave like everybody else.” Fox News anchor J
A White House Q&A on Wednesday ended with a moment that landed like a sudden jolt—especially for Fox News anchor John Roberts.
In the afterglow of a Cabinet meeting, Roberts turned to what he called one of the most disturbing lines President Donald Trump delivered: a casual-sounding threat involving Oman.
Trump’s remarks came as he rejected a plan that would have had Oman and Iran jointly control the Strait of Hormuz. “The Strait is going to be open to everybody. It’s international waters,” Trump said. “We’ll watch over it, but nobody’s going to control it. Oman will behave like everybody else or we’ll have to blow them up. They understand that. They’ll be fine.”.
Roberts didn’t try to dress it up. On air. he said the line “really kind of went unnoticed by the reporters.” Then. his voice tightened as he described what he believed he was hearing. “President Trump became the first American president that I know of to ever threaten to take military action against Oman. saying that they have to behave like everyone else or we’re going to blow them up. I’m not quite sure what that was all about.”.
The segment quickly moved into the familiar routine of the White House—turning to the network’s correspondent for takeaways. Roberts asked Peter Doocy about the moment and whether he had noticed anything beyond “that not-so-veiled threat against the country of Oman. ” adding that the United States has had “traditionally peaceful relationship[s]” with the Middle Eastern country.
Doocy highlighted other moments from the meeting, but Roberts still seemed shaken. “Well, there’s no question there is something going on in this town. For sure,” he said.
The emphasis didn’t end there. The State Department appeared to double down on Trump’s Oman remarks by posting a clip of his language on X on Tuesday—essentially making sure the warning stayed in the public view.
On the State Department’s post. the message carried Trump’s key lines about how the Strait of Hormuz would be handled and the warning tied to Oman’s behavior. The clip quoted Trump saying, “The Strait is going to be open to everybody. It’s international waters. We’ll watch over it. but nobody’s going to control it. ” and then adding. “Oman will behave like everybody else or we’ll have to blow them up. They understand that.” The post was published by the Department of State (@StateDept) on May 27, 2026.
The sequence leaves a clear tension hanging in the air: Trump rejected shared control over the Strait. framed oversight as U.S.-led. and attached a stark ultimatum to a country the United States has long described as a friendly partner—while the anchor who noticed the line on television appeared visibly unable to shake it.
United States politics White House Trump Cabinet meeting Strait of Hormuz Oman Iran State Department X John Roberts Peter Doocy national security