The article discusses the importance of the Strait of Hormuz Strait, where President Donald Trump warned that the US imports almost no oil from the Middle Eastern oil route, despite the president's claim that it does not import any in the future. Oil prices rose by over 11% following Trump's speech, with West Texas crude trading at its highest price in four years and one of the biggest single-day gains in history. Despite this, the health of the US economy depends more heavily on this issue than the president has previously stated. The article suggests that the United States imports only about half a million of the 20 million barrels of crude it consumes each day from the strait, which is a very low amount that it could substitute with oil from other locations. High energy prices are already affecting middle- and lower-income Americans, and could cause significant economic problems if high prices destroy demand for gasoline and oil.