President Donald Trump has expressed a dismissive attitude toward reopening the Strait of Hormuz, arguing that nations that rely on it being open (European and Asian nations) should be responsible for the problem.

While it is true that America’s allies (and even adversaries, seeing that China is losing out on huge amounts of oil due to Iran’s actions) should play a role in opening the strait, Trump’s dismissive attitude may be contrary to his goal of getting American allies to do what he wants. Frankly, many of America’s allies (especially Europe) do not have navies that are capable of forcing open the strait—at least, by themselves. If America is acting like a bully and is not willing to lead, then its allies will not have any confidence to conduct military operations to protect convoys and defend against Iranian strikes. If America does not lead, its allies will not follow.

Also, Trump should be wary. His dismissiveness may look like apathy, which would be bad for his domestic image. Americans are still struggling with rising oil prices, even if the increase may not be as bad as in other places. If Trump does not act, he may be seen as not caring about the average American’s economic struggles. His political opponents will surely capitalize on that.