Though he’s 44 years old, Steven Cheung, the White House Communications Director, showed he’s not really a skilled communications expert but more like a mean-spirited high school internet bully.
When actor Richard Gere criticized the Trump administration for cutting USAID funding, saying its work was one of the “most pure” things America does, Cheung didn’t give serious policy arguments.
Instead, he jumped straight to something rude and inappropriate.
In a recent video with the AP, Gere talked about how USAID’s work in global health and disaster aid helped make the world and America better.
But instead of responding to that, Cheung brought up an old, long-discredited story about a gerbil that had to be removed from someone’s behind in an emergency room.
(Read Richard Gere’s latest interview.)
Gere had said the US should use its wealth and power to help people.
Cheung’s smart reply?He brought up a gross rumor that Gere has called a myth for years, just like other wild celebrity stories we’ve all heard about Rod Stewart and Elton John.
This is the kind of discussion happening in the Trump White House in 2026.
When someone gives real criticism about cutting foreign aid—something that’s had a big negative effect but hasn’t been widely covered in the media—the communications chief responds with childish personal insults based on old tabloid stories.
Steven Cheung looks more like the character Oddjob from Goldfinger than a serious communications director (though he’s nowhere near as cool as the bowler-throwing henchman), and his job on Trump’s team only highlights how silly and unprofessional the whole administration is.
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