On April 13, 2026 — the same day Trump's naval blockade of Iranian ports took effect — Vice President JD Vance appeared on Fox News with Bret Baier to defend the administration's strategy. In doing so, he accidentally characterized his own administration's policy as economic terrorism.
Vance described Iran's actions as “economic terrorism against the entire world” for threatening ships in the Strait of Hormuz, then declared: “Two can play at that game. If the Iranians are going to try and engage in economic terrorism, we're going to abide by a simple principle, that no Iranian ships are going to get out either.”
By saying “two can play at that game,” Vance implicitly acknowledged that the U.S. blockade constitutes the same economic terrorism he was accusing Iran of. The phrasing was immediately seized upon — political commentator Ron Filipkowski observed: “Vance admits that Trump's blockade is an act of economic terrorism against the entire world.”
The gaffe was particularly awkward given that Vance had privately told Trump the war was a “bad idea” before it began, according to the Haberman-Swan book. He also insisted on Fox News that Trump wanted to see Iranians “thrive and succeed” — contradicting Trump's threat to “end their entire civilization” roughly a week earlier.