The Emperor’s Tollbooth

(Photo illustration by Sarah Rogers/The Bulwark | Photos: Getty)Yesterday the president of the United States made an announcement that changed the face of the world order. He declared that, starting immediately, the United States would charge a 20 percent toll on the shipping of all goods through the Strait of Hormuz.We should be clear: This was never going to happen.The U.S. Navy will not keep a fleet of ships in the region permanently.Neither China, India, Japan, Australia, nor any other country will pay 20 percent tariffs to the United States on cargo moving through the strait.This was make-believe. The president of the United States was issuing proclamations utterly detached from reality, like a late-stage Saddam Hussein.You can tell that Trump’s plan is make-believe because of the non