What did Donald Trump do today?

He once again insisted he had total control over the Strait of Hormuz, which remains totally under Iranian control. 

Most of the last few news cycles have focused on Trump's decision last month to let journalists serve as unwilling decoys for an Iranian assassination threat, while he was whisked away to safety on an airport catering cart. He tried gamely to spin this today, saying that Iran would have been more likely to target the jet he was on, but that makes no sense: he was deliberately trying to trick Iran into thinking he was on the plane he boarded in full public view.

That may be why he tried to change the subject, declaring for the umpteenth time on social media that the United States had "total control" over the Strait of Hormuz. This remains completely, measurably untrue:

 
The effects of that closure continue to mount. The United States Strategic Petroleum Reserve, which Trump has been using to tamp down oil prices, is almost completely empty. It's fallen to its lowest level since 1983, and much of what little remains can't actually be physically removed from the caverns it's stored in. 

The effects can be seen in gas prices, which are currently at their highest-ever price levels for August. Normally, this is the month when seasonal effects start to lower prices at the pump, but the prices Americans are paying have gone up 10% in the last month and are once again trending towards all-time record highs.

Most of the few vessels that are trying to transit the Strait of Hormuz are obeying Iranian instructions and avoiding the US-approved lane that passes near Oman. Iran has been regularly attacking ships that deviate from its approved path, driving up risk premiums on insurance and making it a money-losing proposition for shippers.

Why does this matter?

• Lying about how strong and in control you are when literally everyone can see that you're not only emphasizes your weakness. 

• No president in history has ever made such an unforced error as blundering away free navigation through the most important waterway in the world.