United States in April 2026: the most important developments in politics
In April 2026, US politics were dominated by the war with Iran and the effort to end it. President Donald Trump set deadlines for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and threatened its infrastructure, and on 7 and 8 April the US and Iran agreed a two-week ceasefire brokered by Pakistan. Talks in Islamabad, led by Vice President JD Vance and Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, ended on 12 April without a deal after more than 21 hours, and Trump announced a naval blockade of the strait. Iran withdrew from a planned second round on 20 April, citing the US seizure of an Iranian cargo ship. Trump extended the ceasefire indefinitely on 22 April and on 25 April cancelled a trip to Pakistan by envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. On 27 April Secretary of State Marco Rubio rejected an Iranian proposal to reopen the strait while Iran kept control of it. Israel and Lebanon held direct talks in Washington, and a ceasefire announced on 16 April was extended by three weeks on 23 April.
Relations with allies were strained. Trump said he was considering pulling the US out of NATO, called it a "paper tiger" and met NATO chief Mark Rutte. Emmanuel Macron and Giorgia Meloni criticised his Iran policy, and Trump criticised Meloni in return. Vance campaigned for Hungary's Viktor Orbán, who lost the 12 April election. The UK paused its plan to hand the Chagos Islands to Mauritius after Trump opposed it, and King Charles III made a state visit to Washington on 28 and 29 April, addressing Congress.
At home, Trump fired Attorney General Pam Bondi on 2 April, and Todd Blanche took over the Justice Department. Army Chief of Staff Randy George and Navy Secretary John Phelan were also removed. Trump threatened to fire Fed Chair Jerome Powell and backed Kevin Warsh as successor; Powell said he would stay on the board. Former FBI Director James Comey was indicted a second time. A suspect was charged with attempting to assassinate Trump after a shooting at the White House correspondents' dinner.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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