The White House Communications Department always stretched the truth — it's been caught in a lie many more times than once.
But there was a period in which official White House communications came with a particular seriousness, gravitas, perfection in wording, and more often than not, the position of a president representing every American. Donald J. Trump blew up any notion of the American presidency acting as such, but it took Steve Cheung — one of the most important and dangerous officials that the average American has never heard of — to eviscerate trust built up over generations in official White House communications.
And we don't yet know the full impact, only that it's horrific and could get much worse, and sooner rather than later.
If one had to point to Trump's second-term original sin, it would be that what began as a uniquely brutal campaign against any, and all, who refused to support Trump never transitioned into a more serene presidential term — instead that scorched-earth campaign modus operandi continued.
Other than Trump's mouth, nowhere is that campaign more apparent than by and through Steve Cheung's communications department. Everything is always A) the Democrats' fault, B) the Media's fault, C) a former international ally's fault, the order dependent on the problem.
Best to begin with the latest example. Trump seemed to practically invite Iran to blow up Southern California: "Let them take out Los Angeles or San Diego (or at least make those cities preferable to 'areas that matter'), a statement that, while burying Trump, handed Cheung the biggest softball in history. Cheung said:
“The media freakout over President Trump’s comments is not rooted in reality. He was clearly stating U.S. cities would have been threatened if a nuclear Iran hadn’t been stopped. America is safer because of the President. Iran has no nuclear, no navy, no air force, and no money."
Take that first sentence out, and it is a responsible, perhaps even laudatory comment. But note the first punching bag — it's a media freakout over nothing. Bashing the media is first priority because the media is the first enemy, less: "We need to protect Americans" and more: "Let them take out... "
And yet it matters much more than the first sentence belies. This administration's war on Trump opposition leads to the presumption that Trump's "let them take out Los Angeles" means these cities certainly "deserve it" given Democratic opposition to the war. Normally, Cheung's job would be to take the situation and haul it back in by stating, "he meant any city, and it would be an unlimited tragedy." Instead, he made it worse by prioritizing their war against the media, not Iran.
Situation normal, shock-jock communications strategy, right?
Right. And that's why it's just so serious.
Every once in a while, the White House needs to communicate with an absolute, utter authority that Americans can trust. Ironically, it could involve a possible epidemic that threatens tens of millions of Americans. It could center around serious financial news, whether good or bad. Or it might involve the possibility of a terrorist attack. But in an environment in which the White House has essentially never stopped campaigning against any opposition, who will trust that this announcement isn't purely politically motivated, or at least significantly politically motivated? No one.
The danger ramps up. But that's just domestic.
Look at what has happened internationally. Cheung has invested far more time developing childish memes, rapid response teams, and oral statements laced with so much vulgarity that one instantly forgets the subject matter. Literally every nation looking on sits back and thinks to itself, "These are not serious people."
Granted, Trump himself inflicts the worst damage, but it doesn't end there. The world sees, "And there's no backstop, no one behind him ready to be an adult; this is just a campaign, not a government."
Look around the world: if you're a respectable nation with a ton of money to invest, or a company the size of a nation with money to invest, can you trust these juveniles with your money when you'll never get a straight answer out of not just the president but even the official communications element within the White House itself? All you know is this administration cares far more about its political survival and beating only enemies within than anything else, including getting you an answer that matters.
You take your matters somewhere else, Americans lose investment, jobs, money.
Then it gets dark.
Let's say you are Iran, or Russia, or Saudi Arabia, looking at the United States and perhaps thinking about causing major trouble. Do you doubt that their intelligence people don't sit back and think: "We are far less likely to be caught if we simply act as major Trump supporters because they spend their time trying to vaporize a domestic 'enemy." Even if we are caught, is the world going to actually believe this White House, or think that it's just a political ploy to make them look good? If we sit back and deny it and call it a political ploy, who is going to prove us wrong?"
Now ask if they'll see a downside in attacking. It is a minor miracle we have not experienced a major international attack here yet. Indeed, perhaps the only thing stopping one is that the administration is too busy doing the job for them, ripping the United States apart.
But let's look at the most recent example of a matter related to terrorism. Just days ago, the administration very suddenly called home 12 B-1B Lancer bombers from RAF Fairford in England. The B-1s had been operating from Fairford during U.S. strikes on Iran. Reuters now reports, citing two U.S. officials, that the specific concern was a potential Iranian drone attack.
Okay, except we have a couple of questions, indeed — likely everyone does.
Trump is getting a ton of domestic heat about the war, one of his biggest liabilities going into the election. It is readily apparent to everyone around the globe that Trump and his White House are far more concerned about "enemies" in the United States (Anyone running against Republicans) than Iran- at least if one reads the White House communications.
So questions arise.
Was the intelligence reliable? Because moving those planes makes Iran look like a serious enemy — but did the White House jump on a weak rumor for political purposes? The publicly known evidence from the U.K. is "thin." Put it this way, U.K. police have arrested seven people in connection with suspicious activity around the base; gas was found, but no explosives or weapons. Most importantly, six have been released on bail; the seventh was just arrested and may get the same. Only the U.S. says it found drone parts.
No one has been charged. This is not Al-Qaeda.
Maybe the intelligence was rock solid. Maybe moving the bombers saved aircraft and lives. But how are Americans supposed to know? The publicly available British case is remarkably... well uninspired given the response. And that's not the point anyway. We don't know because we never know.
What we do know is that if a Democrat expressed some doubt about whether the whole thing was politically motivated, it might well be justified given past acts. But it would only be greeted with a paragraph filled with venomous four-letter words about a politician who wants to kill American troops rather than a demonstration of the evidence.
After all, back in May of 2025, the indubitable S.V. Date, fact-checker extraordinaire from Huffington Post, asked an almost comically ordinary government-transparency question. Trump had made 146 public appearances during his first 100 days, yet the White House had posted transcripts for just 29 of them. Why weren't the rest being posted?
Cheung's very official response: “You must be truly f---ing stupid if you think we’re not transparent... Stop beclowning yourself.” Cheung reportedly insisted that his statement be printed in full. Insisted. The administration remains nothing more than a campaign.
But White Houses are supposed to be impervious to campaign-like mistakes and vulnerabilities precisely because the campaign is over. It speaks for the United States now and doesn't care what Democrats think — at least internationally, for sure.
Of course, Donald Trump leads the way in destroying credibility built over decades, double-digit presidential terms. But Cheung and his department could and should be a double-check on some of the most vitriolic statements, indicating that the White House is aware of its greater responsibilities. The Communications Department has time to consider long-term consequences, consequences like a president who isn't really suggesting a nation blow up blue, but not red, cities, or an epidemic that actually does require an even greater response than COVID, perhaps international businesses saying they can't rely on any information coming out of this country, or terrorists absolutely relying on the same; no one will believe this White House.
Cheung's vulgarity and meme machine make him look like a campaign manager and a cheap teenage one at that. But the actual statements, the M.O., the White House's raison d'etre, belie a government with no time to govern, only campaign against its only real enemy- those who oppose Donald Trump in the slightest.
One of the nation's most dangerous officials is one that most Americans couldn't pick out of a lineup. Donald Trump is the most dangerous, and it's not close. Which doesn't mean Cheung doesn't have the power himself to invite utter devastation.
Jason Miciak is a Raw Story Columnist, a former editor of Occupy Democrats, author, consultant, attorney, and single parent girldad. Please follow on Bluesky, and he can be reached at jasonmiciak@gmail.com