White House Communications Director Steven Cheung has taken to his X account to vindicate President Donald Trump after allegations of the latter going missing after launching strikes on Iran piled up.
After The New York Times’ chief White House correspondent Peter Baker took a dig at Trump, stating he is in Mar-a-Lago to host a “glitzy political fundraiser,” Cheung lashed out at him publicly.
In a post, Baker referenced an article written by White House correspondent Zolan Kanno-Youngs. The article pointed out Trump’s absence in such an emergency situation.
Had it been any other president, he or she would have tried to “scramble back to the White House” in such a situation, the article read.
Instead, Trump’s “response was limited to two videos and conversations with individual reporters and outlets,” it added.
Imagine being a reporter so consumed with Trump Derangement Syndrome that he wants President Trump to mimic the failed policies of the past.
The truth is that President Trump spent the majority of his time monitoring the situation in a secure facility, in constant contact with… https://t.co/v65IjGk5LY
— Steven Cheung (@StevenCheung47) March 2, 2026
“After Trump launched a new war on Iran, he did not rush back to the White House or make an Oval Office address to rally the nation as other presidents have done. He stayed at Mar-a-Lago to attend a glitzy political fundraiser,” Baker wrote in his post.
Cheung dismissed these allegations strictly. Claiming that Baker is suffering from “Trump Derangement Syndrome,” the communications director said that Trump had been supervising the situation from a “secure facility.”
“Imagine being a reporter so consumed with Trump Derangement Syndrome that he wants President Trump to mimic the failed policies of the past,” Cheung said.
He added, “The truth is that President Trump spent the majority of his time monitoring the situation in a secure facility, in constant contact with world leaders, and made multiple addresses to the nation that garnered hundreds of millions of views.”
Cheung concluded his post by confirming that Trump has maintained steady communication with reporters, “including many from Peter’s (Baker) own outlet,” throughout the process.
“The Mideast won’t be the same again”: But what exactly emerges from the war may not be clear for a while. The seasoned and deeply sourced correspondent @StevenErlanger covered the Iranian Revolution in 1978-79 and now explores what could come next. https://t.co/yrefGsH7Wc
— Peter Baker (@peterbakernyt) March 2, 2026
Notably, the strikes on Iran have been dubbed “Operation Epic Fury” by the Department of Defense.
It has been confirmed by the Central Command (CENTCOM) on Sunday, March 1, that three American service members lost their lives and five more were critically injured after the U.S. and Israel teamed up to launch a joint military assault in Iran.
Trump is facing a storm of criticism after stating that there will be more military personnel who might lose their lives. Speaking about such a possibility, he said, “That’s the way it is.”
His statement is being censured by many, including Army National Guard veteran Tammy Duckworth.
“’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. What a disgrace,” Duckworth stated.
In a conversation with CNN, Democrat Pat Ryan criticized the president for not clearing the air with the martyred soldiers’ families. “For the president to not answer those questions, to have nothing to say to those family members, is pathetic. It’s pathetic,” Ryan said.
He added, “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.”
