Trump's profanity-laced post gives Tehran 'til Tuesday to open Hormuz

• President Donald Trump threatened Iran in a profane social-media post on Easter Sunday.
• The post dropped the f-bomb and demanded Iran reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which it blocked after U.S. military strikes.
• The conflict has led to rising gasoline prices in the United States.
• Trump has also made a series of controversial statements during Holy Week.

(This story was updated to add new information.)

President Donald Trump began his Easter Sunday with a profanity-laced threat to the Iranian regime.

In a social-media post fired off just after 8 a.m., Trump demanded Tehran "Open the F******' Strait you crazy bastards, or you'll be living in Hell — JUST WATCH."

He ended the short post, which reiterated that civilian infrastructure including bridges and power plants would be targeted, with a mocking "Praise be to Allah." The president set a deadline of 8 p.m. Tuesday, April 7, for Tehran to comply with his demands.

Dropping the curse word spoke to Trump's growing frustration with ongoing war

News reports on April 7 stated that the Pakistani government had stepped forward with a draft ceasefire proposal and was attempting to negotiate a stop to the conflict with the U.S. and Iranian governments.

Trump's post, which spelled out the f-bomb, spoke to the administration's heightening frustration, if not desperation, to see unimpeded flow of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

The president has previously lashed out at America's allies for not stepping up to assist in the forced reopening the Strait of Hormuz, the key gateway to the flow of oil from the Middle East, and has threatened to walk away from the conflict.

NATO nations have refused, noting Trump did not consult with them before launching the war. They have almost uniformly stated that it is for Trump and Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu to conclude hostilities they unilaterally and arbitrarily began.

Part of the resistance from U.S. allies as well is the president's ever-shifting rationale for having started the conflict.

Trump's assertions that Iran presented an immediate threat was seemingly contradicted by the administration's intelligence chief, Tulsi Gabbard, in congressional testimony.

His claim that Tehran was on the brink of developing a nuclear weapon also clashed with the president's own conclusions after the U.S. and Israeli bombardment of Iran's facilities in June 2025.

The White House's belief that the military campaign has ushered in regime change in the Persian Gulf's belligerent theocracy has been belied by the assumption of Mojtaba Khamenei as the nation's supreme leader, despite Trump's demand, seemingly unrealistic, that he be involved in choosing the country's next leader.

President elated by rescue of downed U.S. airman

Trump's Easter post followed two other missives announcing and celebrating the rescue of a U.S. serviceman whose F-15 fighter jet was downed by Iranian defenses last week.

"WE GOT HIM!" the president elatedly exclaimed in the post, later adding he would hold a 1 p.m. news conference on Monday, April 7.

He closed that message writing in all-capitalized letters: "GOD BLESS AMERICA, GOD BLESS OUR TROOPS, AND HAPPY EASTER TO ALL!'

The Republican Party of Palm Beach County, which held its annual dinner at Mar-a-Lago last month, issued an Easter message more in keeping with the spirit of the holiday.

"On this Holy Resurrection Day, may God's Blessings be upon our County, our State & the United States of America and may He bring peace throughout the world," the statement read.

Trump has been preoccupied with Hormuz as gasoline prices spiral

The president, in recent days and weeks, has alternately threatened mass destruction, cajoled allies and considered a ground invasion in the Middle East war to force the strait's reopening — all to no avail as the Iranian regime has either rejected, ignored or ridiculed his assertions.

In the meantime, gasoline prices in the United States have skyrocketed and concerns about global scarcities of fuel and fertilizer grow. The national average for a gallon regular gas stood at $4.11 on April 6, and $4.19 across Florida and $4.34 in Palm Beach County, according to the American Automobile Association's surveys.

Iran blocked the passageway after the U.S. began military strikes on the country on Feb. 28. Tehran has managed to control the waterway despite Trump's relentless bombing campaign in the 38-day war.

Trump spent the Easter holiday in Washington, D.C. After issuing the explosive post, the president toured the site at Memorial Circle, located beyond the Arlington Memorial Bridge, where he envisions building a European-like arch. Trump then spent part of the rainy Easter morning at Trump National Golf Club in Virginia.

During his first term, the president routinely spent the holiday at Mar-a-Lago, attending church services with first lady Melania Trump and his family. He did not spend Easter in Palm Beach last year after returning to the presidency.

The social media post also capped a tempestuous Holy Week for the president, who has assiduously and successfully courted Christian and Catholic voters during his decade-long political career.

During an Easter-themed prayer meeting with faith leaders at the White House on April 1, the president eschewed commitments to assist parents and families, saying "don't send any money for day care, because the United States can't take care of day care," claiming that it should be up to individual states.

"We're fighting wars," he said.

On April 3, the most solemn day in the Christian calendar, the president wished "a very happy and blessed Good Friday to all especially to the 186,000 Americans who gained Private Sector jobs in the month of March alone!"

That same day, news reports stated the Pentagon held a Good Friday service that excluded Catholics, while some military faith leaders have rebuked Secretary of War Pete Hegseth for invoking Jesus when speaking of the war.

The following day, Holy Saturday, the president reminded the world he "gave Iran" 10 days to make deal or unilaterally open the Hormuz passage. He noted "time is running out before all Hell will reign (sic) down on them." He punctuated that post with "Glory be to GOD!"

He also railed against immigrants that day in a separate social-media post that read: "If you import The Third World, you become the The Third World."

The president has earned criticism in previous Easter holidays for posts and other initiatives. In recent years, he has issued holiday messages spiked with scorn at "Radical Left" Democrats and other political opponents. He also raised eyebrows in 2024 by selling Trump-branded "God Bless the USA" Bibles in a venture with the country singer Lee Greenwood.

Antonio Fins is a politics and business editor at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach him at [email protected]. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.