White House Communications Director Steven Cheung has furiously defended Donald Trump from claims that the president has gone missing since launching his military action against Iran.
Cheung reacted viciously to an X post by The New York Times’ chief White House correspondent Peter Baker that claimed Trump was hosting a “glitzy fundraiser” at his Mar-a-Lago mansion on Saturday night, hours after announcing the attack on his Truth Social account.
Baker’s post referenced the Times story pointing out that previous presidents would have “rushed back” to the White House or made an Oval Office statement at such a significant time.
Steven Cheung claps back on X. screen grab
An enraged Cheung shared Baker’s post and replied, “Imagine being a reporter so consumed with Trump Derangement Syndrome that he wants President Trump to mimic the failed policies of the past.”
The Trump apologist said the president “spent the majority of his time monitoring the situation in a secure facility, in constant contact with world leaders,” and claimed he made “multiple addresses to the nation that garnered hundreds of millions of views.”
He added that the 79-year-old “also took dozens of calls with reporters, including many from Peter’s own outlet.”
U.S. Central Command announced Sunday morning that three American service members had died and five more had been seriously wounded as a result of the American and Israeli joint military operation in Iran. It has been dubbed “Operation Epic Fury” by the Defense Department.
White House Communications Director Steven Cheung has defended Trump on X. Aaron Schwartz/Getty Images
Trump is already receiving flak for bluntly telling the nation on Sunday that “there will likely be more” U.S. military personnel killed in the war with Iran that he started on Saturday. He added, “That’s the way it is.”
Democrat Tammy Duckworth, who sits on the Armed Services Committee, called out Trump’s language in a post on X on Sunday.
“‘That’s the way it is,’ says the five-time draft dodger to our military families who fear their loved one in uniform could be next,” Duckworth said.
“What a disgrace.”
Tammy Duckworth takes on Trump on X. X/Tammy Duckworth
Duckworth is a Purple Heart recipient.
Another Democrat, Pat Ryan, also a combat veteran, called out Trump’s seeming indifference to Americans who die for their country.
“For the president to not answer those questions, to have nothing to say to those family members, is pathetic. It’s pathetic,” Ryan, 43, told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins on Sunday night.
“And it’s because he doesn’t have answers. There’s not a plan here, or if there is, he’s not sharing it with the American people.”
CNN’s White House correspondent Kristen Holmes said after returning to the White House from Mar-a-Lago on Sunday evening that Trump had refused to answer questions from reporters about whether he had a message for the families of the service members who had been killed.
The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment.
Donald Trump re-posts praise for his SOTU speech on Truth Social. screen grab
On Sunday, as well as posting his six-minute address to the nation over Operation Epic Fury, Trump used his Truth Social account to share MAGA praise for last week’s State of the Union speech.
The president shared multiple posts seemingly from a document compiled of social media praise after his marathon speech.
There were no fewer than 42 positive comments from right-wing figures, including Megyn Kelly, Scott Jennings, and Laura Ingraham.
One comment read, “a friend just said he was sad we only get two more Trump SOTUs.”
Donald Trump re-posts praise for his SOTU speech on Truth Social. screen grab
