Over the weekend, Richard Gere’s candid comments about President Donald Trump gained widespread attention on social media. This prompted Steven Cheung, the White House communications director, to respond by referencing bizarre rumors involving the actor and a gerbil.
The actor and activist — in a clip from an interview with The Associated Press last month — criticized the Trump administration for dismantling the U.S. Agency for International Development the previous year. Gere condemned the president for terminating most of its foreign aid programs on the first day of his second term.
Gere, a known critic of Trump, described the decision as “insane” and added, a “He wouldn’t even know what it stands for, USAID, and he has idiots around him who have the same ignorance about it.”
He further stated, “Are we ashamed of it? Yes, that was the good part of us. He keeps saying we’re the wealthiest, most powerful country in the world. Well, what do you do if you’re the wealthiest, most powerful? You help people. You help people who don’t have healthcare.”
The video clip, shared by @MarcoFoster_ on X, has amassed 1.3 million views since it was posted on Sunday.
Gere’s critique of Trump eventually caught the attention of Cheung, who is known for his history of profane remarks on X.
Cheung responded with a screenshot highlighting a “highly questionable” claim in an apparent attempt to mock Gere.
Cheung commented, “Sorry, not going to listen to a guy that may have put a gerbil up his ass,” alongside a snapshot from a MEL Magazine article addressing bizarre, long-discredited rumors that the actor allegedly got a gerbil stuck in his rectum, necessitating medical intervention.
The story, which has been linked to an alleged sexual practice called gerbilling, was found to be baseless when National Enquirer’s Mike Walker investigated the facts for a tabloid story, per a Snopes article.
Gere himself addressed the rumor in a 2008 interview with Metro, calling the tale of him inserting a “hamster up his bum” one of the “crazy … infamous” stories he has encountered in the press.
“I just decided not to pay attention to any of it. It’s a waste of energy,” Gere said.
