<\/p>\n
White House<\/span><\/a> communications director<\/span> Steven Cheung<\/span><\/a> did something you don\u2019t see every day from a Trump official: He praised a liberal media outlet.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n However, the reason why Cheung gave cheeky compliments to<\/span> MS NOW (formerly MSNBC)<\/span><\/a> was a lot more commonplace \u2015 he was trolling, baby.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Cheung posted a segment from \u201cChris Jansing Reports\u201d that discusses the Trump administration\u2019s recent decision to promote its<\/span> war with Iran<\/span><\/a> using <\/span>videos combining real-world destruction with violence from <\/span><\/a>video games like Call of Duty and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas; films like \u201cTropic Thunder\u201d and \u201cBraveheart\u201d; and footage of MLB players hitting home runs.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n During Jansing\u2019s segment, she played one clip that interspersed footage of Iran being attacked with footage of Nintendo Wii characters using tennis rackets, golf clubs and baseball bats to hit bullseyes.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Jansing noted that while the video she showed \u201cgot a lot of blowback from Democrats,\u201d<\/span> a new \u201cWashington Post\u201d poll<\/span><\/a> suggested that opposition to the strikes \u201cdropped in a week by 12%,\u201d and wondered if the White House messaging is taking hold.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n The poll she cited shows that 42% of Americans now approve of the war, while 40% disapprove, compared with the previous week, when 52% disapproved.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Although the Washington Post poll suggests the messaging is working, <\/span>an NPR\/PBS\/Marist poll shows<\/span><\/a> that only 36% approve of how Trump\u2019s handling the war, while 56% of respondents oppose it.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Jansing\u2019s guest, former George W. Bush advisor Mark McKinnon, noted that \u201cusing video games as parallels for wars\u201d has \u201ca desensitizing element to it,\u201d which he pointed out just makes people think, \u2019Oh, it\u2019s just like a video game\u201d after a while.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Enter Cheung, who took to X after the segment aired to thank the network \u201cfor playing our videos and showing it\u2019s having a positive effect on polling and messaging.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n celebrity.land reached out to MS Now for comment on Cheung\u2019s post and to the White House for additional proof that MS NOW\u2019s showing of the Iran war promo videos has had a noticeable impact on approval ratings for the conflict.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n MS NOW didn\u2019t immediately respond, but Cheung claimed to celebrity.land that \u201cby playing our videos over and over again, they are helping spread our message to their liberal audience.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n That doesn\u2019t mean MS NOW viewers are being converted to Trump\u2019s side, especially after network star Lawrence O\u2019Donnell called the videos<\/span> the<\/a><\/span> \u201cstupidest propaganda videos in the history of propaganda anywhere in the world.\u201d<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n He\u2019s not the only one. <\/span>Earlier this month, Ben Stiller <\/span>blasted the White House<\/span><\/a> for using the \u201cTropic Thunder\u201d clip. Stiller directed and co-wrote the 2008 comedy.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n