Trump picks ‘fake news’ warrior Steven Cheung as White House communications director after his work on campaign

President-elect Donald Trump has decided to bring his brash adviser Steven Cheung to the White House as his communications director.

Cheung, who made his mark in communications at the Ultimate Fighting Championship, previously served in the White House during Trump’s first term as director of strategic response.

He was responsible for delivering sharp responses to the press as communications director for the Trump campaign, which made the candidate exemplary in taking a sledgehammer to political rivals.

As in his first attempt, Trump faced intense media attention, both good and bad, even as he publicly attacked the media as “fake news” and called it an “enemy of the people” during his 2024 campaign rallies.

As controversies arose, Cheung issued a series of responses during the campaign, such as when he called Kamala Harris “despicable.”

That came just days before the election, after Harris cited a report claiming Trump had said something admiring about Hitler. Cheung fired back with a statement calling her a “a stone-cold loser growing increasingly desperate because she is flailing, and her campaign is in shambles.”

“That’s why she continues to spread outright lies and untruths that are easily refuted. The fact is, Kamala’s dangerous rhetoric is directly responsible for the many assassination attempts on President Trump and she continues to fan the flames of violence, all in the name of politics. She is despicable and her grotesque behavior proves her completely unfit for office.”

When news broke that Iran had hacked his campaign, Cheung issued a statement blaming Harris. “This is the continuation of election meddling by Kamala Harris and the Democrats who will stop at nothing, including encouraging China and Iran to attack critical American infrastructure, to prevent President Trump from returning to the White House,” he said.

Often his comments made their way to his boss, such as when Judge Tanya Chutkan issued an order in his Jan. 6 case.

“Radical Democrats are determined to interfere in the presidential election on behalf of Lyin’ Kamala Harris. With just over two weeks until Election Day, President Trump is dominating this race and crazy liberals across the Deep State are panicking,” he said. He called the case “a sham and a partisan, unconstitutional witch hunt that must be completely rejected – as should ALL remaining Democratic hoaxes.”

Trump’s first White House had strained relations with the press, as the president sparred with correspondents he viewed as adversaries. His press shop ripped off the credentials of several reporters, and his last press secretary, Stephanie Grisham, never held a press conference.

(She later broke with Trump and ultimately endorsed Harris at the Democratic Convention in Chicago).

His appointment comes after a flurry of activity from Trump, who nominated Matt Gaetz as attorney general and said Thursday he will nominate North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum as Secretary of the Interior.

Trump praised Cheung, a native of Sacremento, in a statement in which he also announced that Sergio Gor would head the presidential personnel office.

“Steven Cheung and Sergio Gor have been trusted advisors since my first presidential campaign in 2016, and have continued to champion the principles of America First throughout my first term, all the way to our historic victory in 2024,” Trump said.

“I’m thrilled they can join my White House as we, Make America Great Again!”

Another campaign press aide, Taylor Budowich, is joining the White House as deputy chief of staff for communications and personnel.

Trump still has not announced who will take on the prominent role of press secretary, although Trump lawyer Alina Habba issued a public statement excluding herself from consideration.