President Donald Trump announced Monday that he will deliver a prime-time address to the nation on Thursday evening, prompting speculation about what topics he plans to cover as tensions in the Middle East continue to escalate.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump confirmed the timing of the speech.
“President Trump will be making a Speech to the Nation on Thursday evening, at 9 P.M. Eastern,” he wrote.
The president did not provide additional details about the address, leaving observers to speculate about its focus. One possibility is the rapidly developing situation involving Iran following the collapse of the ceasefire and renewed hostilities in and around the Strait of Hormuz.
🚨 JUST IN: President Trump says America will be REIMBURSED by oil-rich Middle Eastern countries like Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and UAE for defending the Strait of Hormuz
“I want to be reimbursed because we’re protecting a VERY rich portion of the world. We’re spending money, and so… pic.twitter.com/R94fXnQJtR
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) July 13, 2026
Earlier Monday, Trump announced a new U.S. policy regarding the strategically vital waterway, declaring that the United States would guarantee freedom of navigation while imposing what he described as an “Iranian blockade.”
“The Hormuz Strait is OPEN, and will remain OPEN, with or without Iran,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “We are reinstating the THE IRANIAN BLOCKADE, so named because it is only stopping Iran’s ships or customers from entering or leaving. All other countries will have fair and open use of the Strait.”
Trump also proposed that nations benefiting from the security operation should help bear its costs.
“The U.S.A. will be, from this point forward, known as ‘THE GUARDIAN OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT,’ but as such, and as a matter of FAIRNESS, will be reimbursed, at the rate of 20% on all cargo shipped, for any and all costs necessary to do the job of providing safety and security to this very volatile section of the World,” he wrote. “The process and formation will begin immediately.”
Speaking from the Oval Office later in the day, Trump defended the proposal, arguing that the United States has carried a disproportionate share of the burden in protecting one of the world’s busiest maritime corridors.
“I want to be reimbursed because we’re protecting a very rich portion of the world,” Trump said. “We’re spending money, and so what we’ve done is we are going to be reimbursed for protection.”
The president also described Iran as “stone-cold crazy,” referencing recent attacks that he said targeted Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia. Trump added that the United States also continues to provide security support for Israel amid the regional conflict.
🚨 BREAKING: President Trump’s Thursday Evening ‘Speech to the Nation’ will reportedly show newly declassified intelligence reports that reveal a foreign nation’s plans to interfere in the 2020 presidential election.
The president will reportedly be joined by:
-CIA Director… pic.twitter.com/UgQ5kiN33P
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) July 13, 2026
Beyond the Middle East, another report circulating Monday fueled additional speculation about Thursday’s address.
Conservative commentator Benny Johnson posted on social media that the president is expected to discuss newly declassified intelligence concerning alleged foreign efforts to interfere in the 2020 U.S. election. As of Monday, the White House had not confirmed that election-related intelligence would be part of the president’s remarks.
If that report proves accurate, the speech could address both international security concerns and domestic issues that have remained politically contentious since the 2020 election.
