Steven Cheung

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For other people named Steven Cheung, see Steven Cheung (disambiguation).
Steven Cheung
張振熙
Cheung in 2025
White House Communications Director
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 20, 2025
PresidentDonald Trump
Preceded byBen LaBolt
Personal details
Born (1982-06-23) June 23, 1982 (age 43)
South Sacramento, California, U.S.
EducationCalifornia State University, Sacramento (no degree)
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese張振熙
Simplified Chinese张振熙
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinZhāng Zhènxī
Yue: Cantonese
Jyutpingzoeng1 zan3 hei1

Steven Cheung[a] (born June 23, 1982) is an American political advisor who has served as the White House communications director since 2025.

Cheung attended California State University, Sacramento, but did not earn a degree. He began his political career working as a communications and speechwriting intern for California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in college. Cheung later worked for Arizona senator John McCain's 2008 presidential campaign, Steve Poizner's campaign in the 2010 California gubernatorial election, Sharron Angle's campaign in the 2010 United States Senate election in Nevada, and Texas lieutenant governor David Dewhurst's campaign for the 2012 United States Senate election in Texas. In July 2016, Cheung joined Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign.

Cheung served as the White House assistant communications director and later the director of strategic response in Trump's first presidency. He was purportedly instrumental in ensuring Neil Gorsuch's Supreme Court nomination and the passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. In June 2018, Cheung was fired by John F. Kelly amid broader staff changes. After leaving the White House, Cheung consulted for several campaigns, including Trump's 2020 presidential campaign and Caitlyn Jenner's campaign in the 2021 California gubernatorial recall election. In September 2022, he began leading communications for MAGA Inc., Trump's super PAC. Cheung later became the director of communications for Trump's 2024 presidential campaign.

In November 2024, Trump named Cheung as his White House communications director.

Early life and education (1982–2004)

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Steven Cheung was born on June 23,[1] 1982,[2] in South Sacramento, California.[3] He was the son of Chinese parents who emigrated to the United States; his mother was raised in Japan.[4] Cheung graduated from John F. Kennedy High School in 2000.[5] He played for John F. Kennedy's football team.[4] Cheung attended California State University, Sacramento, majoring in computer science and political science,[4] but did not earn a degree.[6]

Career

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Early career (2003–2016)

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While attending California State University, Cheung worked as a communications and speechwriting intern for California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.[1] He worked for Arizona senator John McCain's 2008 presidential campaign.[7] Cheung later worked for Steve Poizner's campaign in the 2010 California gubernatorial election and Sharron Angle's campaign in the 2010 United States Senate election in Nevada.[8] By October 2011, he had begun working for Texas lieutenant governor David Dewhurst in his campaign for the 2012 United States Senate election in Texas.[9] In 2013,[4] Cheung was named as the director of communications and public affairs for Ultimate Fighting Championship.[8]

Trump campaign and assistant communications director (2016–2018)

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In July 2016, Cheung was named as the director of rapid response for Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign.[7] After Trump's victory in the 2016 presidential election, he was named to Trump's presidential transition team, overseeing rapid response.[10] In January 2017, one day prior to Trump's first inauguration, Cheung was appointed as the White House assistant communications director.[11] He became the director of strategic response in September.[12] Cheung was among those fired by White House chief of staff John F. Kelly in June 2018. According to Cliff Sims, Cheung—an obscure aide—was instrumental in ensuring Neil Gorsuch's Supreme Court nomination and the passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.[13]

Post-government work and Trump campaigns (2018–2024)

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Cheung speaking amid the criminal trial of Donald Trump in New York.

By August 2019, Cheung had begun consulting Trump's 2020 presidential campaign through his firm, Solgence.[14] He joined Caitlyn Jenner's campaign in the 2021 California gubernatorial recall election in April 2021.[15] In January 2022, Politico reported that Cheung was considering a campaign in the 2022 United States House of Representatives election for California's ninth congressional district after representative Jerry McNerney declined to seek a tenth term.[3] Cheung worked for Brock Pierce's tentative campaign in the 2022 United States Senate election in Vermont.[16] He advised former Missouri governor Eric Greitens's campaign in the 2022 United States Senate election in Missouri.[17]

Cheung helped orchestrate the 2020 Republican National Convention.[18] In September 2022, he was appointed as the director of communications for MAGA Inc., a super PAC for Trump.[19] By March 2023, Cheung had been leading communications for Trump's 2024 presidential campaign.[20] As the campaign's director of communications, he wrote several of Trump's posts on Truth Social.[21] In August 2024, NPR reported that several members of Trump campaign's staff had engaged in a physical altercation with an official at Arlington National Cemetery. Cheung told NPR that the cemetery worker was "suffering from a mental health episode" and asserted that the campaign had permission to film at the cemetery.[22]

White House Communications Director (2025–present)

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On November 15, 2024, president-elect Donald Trump named Cheung as his White House communications director.[23]

Communication style

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Cheung employs a combative style mirroring Donald Trump's own approach to the media.[24][25] The Atlantic described Cheung as having "relentless aggression" that "helps quench the base's thirst for owning the libs."[25] Stephanie Grisham, who worked with Cheung in the White House, told NOTUS that he excelled at "pithy statements that can offend people quickly, which is exactly what Trumpworld likes."[26] In contrast to his predecessors, Cheung's social media posts are often profanity-laden and attack Trump's adversaries.[25] Cheung has referred to various political adversaries and reporters through terms such as "cuck," "dumbass," "dick," and "fucking stupid." He described James Comey, the former director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, as "one of the dumbest motherfuckers in human history,"[24] Florida governor Ron DeSantis as a "desperate eunuch",[27] and California governor Gavin Newsom as "a mongoloid who barely registers half a brain cell."[28] According to The New Yorker's Clare Malone, Cheung's abrasive tone is not present in his direct and private communications with reporters.[29]

Notes

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  1. ^ Chinese: 张振熙; pinyin: Zhāng Zhènxī

References

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  1. ^ a b "Steven Cheung, senior communications adviser for the Trump reelect". Politico.
  2. ^ McGraw & Bade 2024.
  3. ^ a b Bade & Palmeri 2022.
  4. ^ a b c d Sokolove 2024.
  5. ^ Large 2024.
  6. ^ Macht 2024.
  7. ^ a b Gass 2016.
  8. ^ a b Kanski 2016.
  9. ^ Selby 2011.
  10. ^ Brown 2016.
  11. ^ Nussbaum 2017.
  12. ^ Haberman 2017.
  13. ^ Karni 2018.
  14. ^ Beavers 2019.
  15. ^ Markay, Treene & Swan 2021.
  16. ^ Schreckinger 2022.
  17. ^ Treene 2021.
  18. ^ Scherer & Dawsey 2020.
  19. ^ Isenstadt 2022.
  20. ^ Cai 2023a.
  21. ^ Cai 2023b.
  22. ^ Lawrence & Bowman 2024.
  23. ^ Gold 2024.
  24. ^ a b Farhi 2025.
  25. ^ a b c Godfrey 2025.
  26. ^ Joseph 2024.
  27. ^ Bender & Nehamas 2024.
  28. ^ Knowles & Morse 2025.
  29. ^ Malone 2024.

Works cited

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Wikiquote has quotations related to Steven Cheung.
  • Media related to Steven Cheung (political advisor) at Wikimedia Commons
  • Appearances on C-SPAN
Political offices
Preceded by White House Communications Director
2025–present 		Incumbent