Trump Just Destroyed Britain's 300-Year Stranglehold on Global Trade

Trump called Britain "uncooperative," dismantled Lloyd's three-century grip on the Strait of Hormuz, and inherited a united Gulf alliance — all in 72 hours. This is what the end of empire looks like.

Susan Kokinda

In this Wednesday update, Susan Kokinda argues that President Trump has openly ruptured with the UK over Iran, base access, and broader British policies on energy and immigration, while treating Germany under Chancellor Friedrich Merz as a more reliable partner and moving to cut trade with Spain over NATO and base issues. She says Britain blocked US use of Diego Garcia and other RAF bases for initial strikes, prompting Trump’s public criticism. Kokinda frames Lloyd’s of London’s decision to cancel war-risk coverage for Gulf shipping as a weapon of British imperial power, and highlights Trump’s response: directing the US Development Finance Corporation to provide political risk insurance and putting the Navy on notice to escort tankers through the Strait of Hormuz. She adds that Iranian strikes on Gulf neighbors pushed GCC states into condemning Iran and aligning more closely with the US.

00:00 The Midweek Update - DISMANTLED: The 300-Year Empire Trump Just Ended - March 4, 2026
02:19 "This Is Not the Age of Churchill" — The Special Relationship Is Over
06:55 The King's Insurance Market — Three Centuries of Crown Control Over Global Trade
09:32 Iran's Gift to Trump — The Gulf Alliance Nobody Expected