Latest news with #StevenCheung
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump Lackey Torn Apart for Wild Claim of Giant Parade Crowd
President Donald Trump's director of communications has prompted ridicule with spurious claims over the size of the crowd at a Washington, D.C. military parade. 'Amazing. Despite the threat of rain, over 250,000 patriots showed up to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the @USArmy,' Steven Cheung posted to X on Saturday night. 'God Bless the USA!' MSNBC was quick to pour water on the claim. 'That's just not accurate, that's not even close to accurate,' reporter Vaughn Hillyard, who was present at the event, told hosts of MSNBC's The Weekend on Sunday. 'Just the eye of any individual who is here on the ground or looking at images or video knows that there were not 250,000 people, but that can be the White House's position here,' he added. Users on X eviscerated Cheung in the comments section and in reposts of his original claim. Many of them compared him to former Trump Press Secretary Sean Spicer, who was called out in 2017 for grossly inflating the number of people who'd attended the president's first inauguration. 'Steven Cheung in his 'Sean Spicer' moment declared FALSELY 250K people attended Trump's vanity parade yesterday!!' one user put it. 'The lying and delusion from this Trump administration never stops!!' 'Steven Cheung has no concept of the principles of empirical induction predicated from proven observation,' another chimed in. 'Steven Cheung has no ability to use inference from established facticity. Steven Cheung is a deluded fantasist with no concept of actual reality.' A third person simply wrote: 'Trump's nutsackhead is lying again.' A fourth person said: 'Yeah right dude, and Steven Cheung is skinny too.' 'The sad spin starts,' as another described it. 'The highest reasonable total is only 10-20K attending.' Even Grok, X's in-house AI factchecking tool, found it hard to wrangle any logic from Cheung's post. 'Claims of over 250,000 attendees at the U.S. Army's 250th anniversary parade in Washington, D.C., on June 14, 2025, appear exaggerated,' the program responded to a tag in the comments. 'Official permits allowed for up to 200,000 for the parade and 50,000 for the festival, but news reports suggest actual attendance was lower than expected,' it went on. 'No official figures confirm the 250,000 claim, and sources like PBS and KTLA indicate turnout fell short of 200,000. Exact numbers remain unverified as of now.' The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House for comment.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Here's what we know about rumor Trump wore catheter at UFC event
As U.S. President Donald Trump celebrated at an Ultimate Fighting Championship event in June 2025, a photograph of him wearing a championship belt resulted in curious claims online. The photograph in question showed fighter Kayla Harrison, who had just won the UFC women's bantamweight championship bout, putting her victor's belt around Trump's waist. Users focused on his pants leg and claiming he had a catheter on underneath. A number of posts on X, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok made this claim. One post stated: Trump is absolutely wearing a Foley catheter. It's a tube inserted into the bladder to drain urine into a bag strapped to the leg. That line down his pants? Not a crease. It's tubing. Every step he takes sounds like the sloshing of a warm Capri Sun (Instagram user oldrowofficial) We looked closely at footage of the 78-year-old president walking around at the event, as well as photographs of him alongside Harrison. At this time, we were unable to independently confirm whether he wore a catheter under his suit. White House spokesperson Steven Cheung denied the claim in an email: The President has been the most transparent president in history, and the recent medical report that was released clearly and unequivocally shows he is in peak condition. These conspiracy theories peddled by demented individuals hiding behind social media, and now being given a platform by the fake news, clearly suffer from a debilitating case of Trump Derangement Syndrome. These are the same people who have been caught trying to gaslight the American people for years by saying Joe Biden was cognitively fine, when in fact, he was in much worse condition than thought. On June 7, 2025, Trump attended a UFC 316 event in New Jersey. The above photograph appears to be authentic, given that the White House posted other pictures of Harrison putting the championship belt on Trump, though his pants are not visible. (The White House) In most available media images showing Trump interacting with Harrison, or standing around at the UFC event, his upper leg is shadowed by his suit jacket, making it difficult to determine whether the bulge was just a fold in the pant leg or something else. According to the Cleveland Clinic, a Foley catheter is a device that "drains urine from your urinary bladder into a collection bag outside of your body when you can't pee on your own or for various medical reasons." Images from the website show a narrow tube connecting to a bag that collects urine. The following YouTube video compiles a range of clips of Trump walking into the UFC arena and interacting with Harrison. At the 32-second mark, Harrison puts her championship belt over his shoulder. We paused at numerous moments in the clip and found there was a noticeable shadow on Trump's leg but no evidence of a bulge as he stood at that angle. It is possible the bulge was visible when Harrison wrapped the belt around Trump's waist, pulling his pants back. However, there is no way to independently verify whether this bulge is from a catheter. We also zoomed in on the image in question and found a similar shadow on Trump's other leg, indicating that the bulge is likely also just a result of the angle of the light. (Instagram user oldrowofficial) Many people online also have also claiming from other photographs at the White House that Trump was wearing a secret "leg brace" under his suit after his stumble while climbing the stairs to Air Force One. In April 2025, White House physician Capt. Sean Barbabella said Trump was in "excellent health." Trump's health has frequently been the subject of speculation. We previously covered an authentic video of him stumbling while climbing the stairs to Air Force One. We also have reported on red sores that appeared on his hand in January 2024. "DONALD TRUMP at UFC 316: BEST MOMENTS Nobody Has Seen." YouTube, Dario AS, 8 June 2025, Accessed 11 June 2025. Garrett, Luke. "White House Doctor Says Trump Is 'fully Fit' in Medical Report." NPR, 13 Apr. 2025. NPR, Accessed 11 June 2025. Ibrahim, Nur. "Strange Red 'Sores' on Trump's Hand Mystify Internet, Then Disappear." Snopes, 18 Jan. 2024, Accessed 11 June 2025. "Kayla Harrison Celebrates with U.S. President Donald Trump and UFC..." Getty Images, 8 June 2025, Accessed 11 June 2025. Liles, Jordan. "Yes, Video Shows Trump Stumbling up Steps to Air Force One." Snopes, 9 June 2025, Accessed 11 June 2025. "President Trump Attends UFC 316." The White House, Accessed 11 June 2025. "Social Media Speculates Trump 'Is Wearing a Leg Brace' after Air Force One Fall." The Independent, 11 June 2025, Accessed 11 June 2025. "US President Donald Trump and UFC CEO Dana White Attend a UFC 316..." Getty Images, 8 June 2025, Accessed 11 June 2025. "What Is a Foley Catheter?" Cleveland Clinic, Accessed 11 June 2025.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump's team claims 250,000 supporters watched his military parade. ‘No Kings' protests drew at least 4 million, experts say
After dueling Army processions in Washington, D.C. and nationwide 'No Kings' protests, the war of spin has begun. Following the Saturday event in the Capitol, the Trump administration was quick to tout what appeared to be inflated attendance numbers and brand the 'No Kings' protest, which drew millions across events in some 2,000 cities and small towns across the country, as an 'utter failure with minuscule attendance.' 'Despite the threat of rain, over 250,000 patriots showed up to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army,' White House communications director Steven Cheung wrote on X. 'God Bless the USA!' Outside estimates, meanwhile, suggest there were far fewer in attendance than the 200,000 people expected to view the parade, which coincided with the president's birthday. Empty bleachers and gaps in the audience could be seen in the crowd that turned out to watch more than 6,000 soldiers and 128 Army tanks roll through Washington. 'When the day came, it was something closer to a medium-sized town's July 4th celebration,' The Independent's Richard Hall wrote in his dispatch from the event. 'There were families, picnics, bad weather and small crowds.' Online, meanwhile, critics of the president poked fun at images from the event, including the unexpected appearance of Trump-aligned corporate sponsors like cryptocurrency firm Coinbase and Oracle, as well as a squeaky antique tank filmed driving through a largely silent section of the crowd, viewed by some as a symbol for the event's larger success. In terms of sheer numbers, the 'No Kings' events that took place the same day as the parade dwarfed the Trump administration's event, drawing between four and six million people, according to an estimate from data journalist G. Elliot Morris and outside analysts. The event's organizers have put the number at more than 5 million. Organizers purposely avoided throwing a protest in Washington, an effort they said was meant to draw focus away from the famously image-obsessed president. 'Instead of allowing this birthday parade to be the center of gravity, we will make action everywhere else the story of America that day: people coming together in communities across the country to reject strongman politics and corruption,' organizers wrote. The gambit appeared to be a success, and images of the nationwide protests were plastered across the front page of every major newspaper, sometimes crowding out the president's parade. Trump has long been fixated on the size of crowds at his events, beginning with his repeated, dubious claims that his first inauguration was the largest in U.S. history, a trend of boasting that continued through his 2024 campaign. In addition to the intentional political theater of the day — which included Trump-shaped puppets and crossed-out crown insignias on one hand, the White House framed in the background of the stage at the Army parade on the other — there were also striking, unplanned symbols of the present political moment. Saturday marked the first time that hundreds of U.S. Marines called to respond to ongoing unrest in Los Angeles were spotted joining law enforcement on the ground. Marines, federalized National Guard troops, and Los Angeles police officers and sheriff's deputies squared off with demonstrators outside a federal building that's been a center of protest for days as Angelenos challenge the Trump administration's immigration raids in the area. Police say demonstrators attacked law enforcement, while protesters and media members have described a largely peaceful crowd caught by surprise as officers wielding batons and tear gas with little warning after an order to disperse.
The Independent
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Trump's team claims 250,000 supporters watched his military parade. ‘No Kings' protests drew at least 4 million, experts say
After dueling Army processions in Washington, D.C. and nationwide 'No Kings' protests, the war of spin has begun. Following the Saturday event in the Capitol, the Trump administration was quick to tout what appeared to be inflated attendance numbers and brand the 'No Kings' protest, which drew millions across events in some 2,000 cities and small towns across the country, as an ' utter failure with minuscule attendance.' 'Despite the threat of rain, over 250,000 patriots showed up to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army,' White House communications director Steven Cheung wrote on X. 'God Bless the USA!' Outside estimates, meanwhile, suggest there were far fewer in attendance than the 200,000 people expected to view the parade, which coincided with the president's birthday. Empty bleachers and gaps in the audience could be seen in the crowd that turned out to watch more than 6,000 soldiers and 128 Army tanks roll through Washington. 'When the day came, it was something closer to a medium-sized town's July 4th celebration,' The Independent 's Richard Hall wrote in his dispatch from the event. 'There were families, picnics, bad weather and small crowds.' Online, meanwhile, critics of the president poked fun at images from the event, including the unexpected appearance of Trump-aligned corporate sponsors like cryptocurrency firm Coinbase and Oracle, as well as a squeaky antique tank filmed driving through a largely silent section of the crowd, viewed by some as a symbol for the event's larger success. In terms of sheer numbers, the 'No Kings' events that took place the same day as the parade dwarfed the Trump administration's event, drawing between four and six million people, according to an estimate from data journalist G. Elliot Morris and outside analysts. The event's organizers have put the number at more than 5 million. Organizers purposely avoided throwing a protest in Washington, an effort they said was meant to draw focus away from the famously image-obsessed president. 'Instead of allowing this birthday parade to be the center of gravity, we will make action everywhere else the story of America that day: people coming together in communities across the country to reject strongman politics and corruption,' organizers wrote. The gambit appeared to be a success, and images of the nationwide protests were plastered across the front page of every major newspaper, sometimes crowding out the president's parade. Trump has long been fixated on the size of crowds at his events, beginning with his repeated, dubious claims that his first inauguration was the largest in U.S. history, a trend of boasting that continued through his 2024 campaign. In addition to the intentional political theater of the day — which included Trump-shaped puppets and crossed-out crown insignias on one hand, the White House framed in the background of the stage at the Army parade on the other — there were also striking, unplanned symbols of the present political moment. Saturday marked the first time that hundreds of U.S. Marines called to respond to ongoing unrest in Los Angeles were spotted joining law enforcement on the ground. Marines, federalized National Guard troops, and Los Angeles police officers and sheriff's deputies squared off with demonstrators outside a federal building that's been a center of protest for days as Angelenos challenge the Trump administration's immigration raids in the area. Police say demonstrators attacked law enforcement, while protesters and media members have described a largely peaceful crowd caught by surprise as officers wielding batons and tear gas with little warning after an order to disperse.
Fox News
6 days ago
- Politics
- Fox News
White House slams 'utter failure' of anti-Trump protests as America celebrates Army's historic milestone
White House communications director Steven Cheung addressed the nationwide "No Kings" protests on Saturday, describing them as "a complete and utter failure with minuscule attendance." Thousands of planned protests, which remained peaceful as the Army's 250th anniversary parade commenced, followed a week of violent anti-ICE protests in Los Angeles and other cities. No Kings organizers chose to hold the demonstrations the same day as the military parade, which coincided with President Donald Trump's 79th birthday. "It is sad Democrats and liberals would rather support criminals and illegals instead of celebrating the 250th anniversary of our great U.S. Army and Flag Day," Cheung wrote in an X post. "But many more Americans are commemorating our brave military men and women who have given the ultimate sacrifice and those who continue to serve our country." Republican lawmakers cheered the effort, describing it as an "incredible opportunity" to showcase the strength, discipline and teamwork of the U.S. military. "It's an honor to support our service members in our nation's capital," Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., wrote in an X post. "Thank you to every man and woman in uniform for your dedication and service to our country!" However, Democrats mostly criticized the Army celebration, citing its cost and alleging it was an excuse to celebrate Trump's birthday. California Gov. Gavin Newsom spoke out shortly after the parade began on Saturday, saying the celebration "should be about" service members. "Our service members are the heroes," Newsom wrote on X. "We are PROUD of the U.S. Army and the brave men and women who serve. They've dedicated their lives to something bigger than themselves. Today should be about them. Not Donald Trump." Minutes later, Newsom's press office posted a photo from the event, with the caption, "THIS IS THE LARGEST PRESIDENTIAL BIRTHDAY PARTY EVER." Despite the divisive rhetoric about the event, the U.S. Army said the parade "is a reminder that we've always been there for America, and we always will. THIS WE'LL DEFEND."
