This paper's earlier account of how Truth Social posts move futures markets documented the mechanism. It has not improved with repetition. On March 10, Trump posted that the Iran war would end "very soon," and Brent crude dropped sharply. [1] Two days later, he wrote on Truth Social that "short term oil prices may go up a little" but that America benefits as the world's largest producer. [2] On March 18, he suggested the U.S. could "FINISH OFF" Iran and leave the Strait of Hormuz for others to guard. [3]

Each post moved prices. The pattern is now so established that Politico reported oil industry executives expressing open "consternation" — not at the policy, but at the messaging. [4] Energy traders track Truth Social timestamps against futures charts in real time. CNBC reported Trump demanding allies help secure Hormuz while simultaneously claiming the U.S. does not use it — a factual confusion that FactCheck.org took apart in detail. [5] The Strait handles roughly 20% of global oil supply. Whether the president understands this is, at this point, a market variable.

-- SAMUEL CRANE, Washington