townhall.com84%
Trump: Iran Will Pay for Ship Damage With Its Own Frozen Funds 95%
By Scott McClallen27%
7/23/2026, 12:06:00 PM
BS Summary: This article contains 16 faulty reasoning types, including Loss Aversion, Negativity Bias, and Framing Effect, with Confirmation Bias as the most egregious example at 48.2% saturation with 80 hits. Analysis detected 639 faulty-reasoning hits from 166 analyzed words, generating a BS Score of 90.6% and a BS Rank of 95% (1,295 of 21,887 articles). This article is worse (more manipulative) than 94.10% of the article peer group.
Any damage inflicted by Iran on ships in the Strait of Hormuz will be paid for by Iranian money that the U.S. holds, President Donald Trump said on Thursday in a Truth Social post.
The comment follows after the U.S. has pounded Iran for about 12 days straight.
Iran and the U.S. tore up a memorandum of understanding that sought peace after Iran repeatedly fired upon ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
“Please let this statement serve to represent, until further notice, that from this point forth, any and all damages done to Ships, Cargo, or anything related thereto, will be paid for by Iranian Money that the United States has in its possession, and controls," Trump said.
"These damages may be very substantial but, nevertheless, this is the fair and equitable thing to do.
Thank you for your attention to this matter!"
The U.S. started striking Iran again on Thursday at 6:45 PM
Confirmation Bias
48.2%Confirmation Bias
OverallThis article
48.2%AuthorScott McClallen
2.4%PublicationTownhall
5.3%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Anchoring Bias
0%Anchoring Bias
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott McClallen
0.8%PublicationTownhall
0.7%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Availability Heuristic
0%Availability Heuristic
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott McClallen
1.5%PublicationTownhall
2.8%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Representativeness Heuristic
14.5%Representativeness Heuristic
OverallThis article
14.5%AuthorScott McClallen
0.7%PublicationTownhall
0.8%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Hindsight Bias
0%Hindsight Bias
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott McClallen
0.4%PublicationTownhall
0.7%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Overconfidence Bias
0%Overconfidence Bias
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott McClallen
1.3%PublicationTownhall
1.7%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Framing Effect
34.9%Framing Effect
OverallThis article
34.9%AuthorScott McClallen
7.7%PublicationTownhall
11.2%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Loss Aversion
48.2%Loss Aversion
OverallThis article
48.2%AuthorScott McClallen
0.2%PublicationTownhall
0.4%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Status Quo Bias
0%Status Quo Bias
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott McClallen
0.2%PublicationTownhall
0.3%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Sunk Cost Effect
0%Sunk Cost Effect
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott McClallen
0.1%PublicationTownhall
0.1%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Optimism Bias
10.2%Optimism Bias
OverallThis article
10.2%AuthorScott McClallen
0.8%PublicationTownhall
1.4%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Pessimism Bias
0%Pessimism Bias
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott McClallen
0.9%PublicationTownhall
1.9%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Negativity Bias
36.7%Negativity Bias
OverallThis article
36.7%AuthorScott McClallen
8.5%PublicationTownhall
13.5%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Self-Serving Bias
10.2%Self-Serving Bias
OverallThis article
10.2%AuthorScott McClallen
1.9%PublicationTownhall
1.8%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Fundamental Attribution Error
0%Fundamental Attribution Error
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott McClallen
0.8%PublicationTownhall
1.8%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Actor-Observer Bias
0%Actor-Observer Bias
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott McClallen
0.1%PublicationTownhall
0.1%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
In-Group Bias
0%In-Group Bias
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott McClallen
2.8%PublicationTownhall
4.6%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Out-Group Homogeneity Bias
0%Out-Group Homogeneity Bias
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott McClallen
0.9%PublicationTownhall
3.2%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Halo Effect
0%Halo Effect
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott McClallen
1.4%PublicationTownhall
1.8%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Horn Effect
0%Horn Effect
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott McClallen
0.4%PublicationTownhall
0.9%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Dunning-Kruger Effect
0%Dunning-Kruger Effect
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott McClallen
0%PublicationTownhall
0%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Recency Bias
15.1%Recency Bias
OverallThis article
15.1%AuthorScott McClallen
0.5%PublicationTownhall
1.3%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Primacy Effect
0%Primacy Effect
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott McClallen
0.3%PublicationTownhall
0.6%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Blind-Spot Bias
0%Blind-Spot Bias
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott McClallen
0%PublicationTownhall
0%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Ad Hominem
0%Ad Hominem
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott McClallen
1.5%PublicationTownhall
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Straw Man
0%Straw Man
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott McClallen
0.5%PublicationTownhall
2%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Appeal to Authority
0%Appeal to Authority
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott McClallen
4.2%PublicationTownhall
4.4%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
False Dilemma
27.7%False Dilemma
OverallThis article
27.7%AuthorScott McClallen
0.7%PublicationTownhall
1.9%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Slippery Slope
0%Slippery Slope
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott McClallen
0.5%PublicationTownhall
1.6%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Circular Reasoning
0%Circular Reasoning
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott McClallen
0.1%PublicationTownhall
0.2%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Hasty Generalization
0%Hasty Generalization
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott McClallen
2.3%PublicationTownhall
9.1%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Red Herring
0%Red Herring
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott McClallen
0.1%PublicationTownhall
0.6%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Bandwagon
0%Bandwagon
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott McClallen
0.7%PublicationTownhall
1.3%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Appeal to Emotion
10.2%Appeal to Emotion
OverallThis article
10.2%AuthorScott McClallen
10.3%PublicationTownhall
11.1%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Begging the Question
30.7%Begging the Question
OverallThis article
30.7%AuthorScott McClallen
1.1%PublicationTownhall
2.2%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Post Hoc (False Cause)
15.1%Post Hoc (False Cause)
OverallThis article
15.1%AuthorScott McClallen
1.4%PublicationTownhall
2.4%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Tu Quoque
0%Tu Quoque
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott McClallen
0%PublicationTownhall
0.6%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Burden of Proof
0%Burden of Proof
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott McClallen
0.7%PublicationTownhall
1.5%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Appeal to Nature
0%Appeal to Nature
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott McClallen
0.1%PublicationTownhall
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Composition/Division
0%Composition/Division
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott McClallen
0.1%PublicationTownhall
0.1%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Anecdotal
0%Anecdotal
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott McClallen
0.2%PublicationTownhall
1.4%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
No True Scotsman
0%No True Scotsman
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott McClallen
0%PublicationTownhall
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Ambiguity (Equivocation)
27.7%Ambiguity (Equivocation)
OverallThis article
27.7%AuthorScott McClallen
1.7%PublicationTownhall
2.2%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Gambler’s Fallacy
0%Gambler’s Fallacy
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott McClallen
0%PublicationTownhall
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Middle Ground
0%Middle Ground
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott McClallen
0%PublicationTownhall
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Personal Incredulity
0%Personal Incredulity
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott McClallen
0%PublicationTownhall
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Special Pleading
0%Special Pleading
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott McClallen
0%PublicationTownhall
0.2%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Genetic Fallacy
0%Genetic Fallacy
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott McClallen
0%PublicationTownhall
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Unattributed Quote
20.5%Unattributed Quote
OverallThis article
20.5%AuthorScott McClallen
2%PublicationTownhall
3.4%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Quote-first Misdirection
27.7%Quote-first Misdirection
OverallThis article
27.7%AuthorScott McClallen
3.2%PublicationTownhall
3%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Biased Writer Voice
7.2%Biased Writer Voice
OverallThis article
7.2%AuthorScott McClallen
5.5%PublicationTownhall
16.1%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Indoctrination
0%Indoctrination
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott McClallen
4%PublicationTownhall
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Politically Left Leaning Bias
0%Politically Left Leaning Bias
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott McClallen
0.1%PublicationTownhall
0.2%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Politically Right Leaning Bias
0%Politically Right Leaning Bias
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott McClallen
5.5%PublicationTownhall
13.8%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Attempt to Sell a Product or Service
0%Attempt to Sell a Product or Service
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott McClallen
3.8%PublicationTownhall
5%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
166 words analyzed.
Analysis
Hover over highlighted words in the article to view the associated bias or fallacy analysis.