Columnist coins ‘NACHO’ as blockade uncertainty fuels doubts over US strategy Last updated: April 30, 2026 | 20:27 Responding to the label last year, Trump dismissed the criticism. “I chicken out? Oh, I’ve never heard that,” he said, calling his approach “negotiation.” AFP Dubai: US President Donald Trump has been labelled “NACHO” — short for “ Not A Chance Hormuz Opens ” — as criticism grows over his handling of the Strait of Hormuz crisis. Coined by Javier Blas, the term reflects scepticism that Washington can secure a breakthrough as the on-and-off blockade disrupts oil flows and pushes up fuel prices. “We thought we were getting a TACO, ‘Trump Always Chickens Out.’ But so far we are getting a NACHO, ‘Not A Chance Hormuz Opens, ’” Blas wrote on X. The earlier nickname “TACO” — short for “Trump Always Chickens Out” — was popularised by a Financial Times columnist to describe Trump’s pattern of making aggressive threats that later ease, often calming markets after initial volatility.…