PoliticsDonald Trump Says He Has Laryngitis After Screaming at Iranians All Day: 'They Don't Understand Being Nice'
Donald Trump said his raspy voice is because he has been screaming at Iranians all day as focus intensifies on his health issues.
April 17 2026, Published 8:39 p.m. ET
In a Fox Business interview that aired on Wednesday, April 15, President Donald Trump told host Maria Bartiromo that his voice was hoarse because he had been "screaming at Iranians all day.”
During the Mornings with Maria exchange, a fawning Bartiromo asked if his raspy tone was due to long negotiations.
"I’ve been screaming at Iranians all day, yes. A little bit of laryngitis because of my scream... because that’s the only thing they understand. They don’t understand being nice,” he said.
“They understand the way I have to do business,” he added. “I treat all people differently.”
The comments came during a period of intense diplomatic tension.
The comments came during a period of intense diplomatic tension, with the U.S. and Iran reportedly nearing the end of a two-week ceasefire.
While White House officials later clarified that Trump was "personally involved" in negotiations, the remark drew widespread media attention and skepticism from political commentators regarding the literal nature of his claim.
The Strait of Hormuz was officially declared "completely open" for commercial vessels on Friday, April 17, by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. This announcement coincides with a 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.
Donald Trump said his voice was hoarse from screaming.
While Trump celebrated the opening of the Strait of “Iran,” as he mistakenly wrote on Truth Social (Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent called it the Strait of “Vermouth” in a recent speech), critics blasted him as an arsonist hawking fire extinguishers because the Strait was open before he entered a war with Iran.
He also welcomed the opening but clarified that a U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports remains in "full force,” creating, according to experts, a bifurcated situation in which the waterway is open to general commerce but Iranian-linked shipping is still restricted by the U.S. Navy.
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Donald Trump claims he's all there mentally.
Trump’s raspy voice added to the growing focus on the 79-year-old president’s health and fitness for office.
In November 2025, Trump attributed his hoarseness to shouting during trade talks, insisting as he always does that he was in perfect health.
“I was shouting at people because they were stupid about something having to do with trade in a country,” Trump told reporters at that time, vaguely saying that he “straightened it out” with an unnamed country.
Some think the president is 'unwell.'
Critics and some medical professionals have noted a "manic" pace and suggested Trump "looks unwell," with concerns about his physical state and cognitive performance.
Dr. Vin Gupta, a practicing pulmonologist and chief medical analyst for MS NOW, issued a public warning about the commander-in-chief's cognitive health. While Dr. Gupta clarified that he has not personally examined the president, he stated that Trump is "exhibiting all the signs of dementia."
The White House issued a press release this month, hitting out at what it called “vicious, fabricated conspiracy theories" about a nonexistent "health crisis" amid speculation that Trump was in the hospital despite no credible evidence having emerged.
