Trump hires longtime aide Steven Cheung as White House communications director

WASHINGTON - Steven Cheung, the aggressive communications director for Donald Trump's 2024 presidential campaign, was named director of communications Friday in Trump's next White House.

Cheung worked as the rapid response director for Trump's 2016 presidential campaign and was perhaps the most acerbic of the candidate's spokespersons, describing opponents and "snowflakes" and "cucks" who suffered from "Trump Derangement Syndrome."

Trump on Friday also announced Sergio Gor, who ran the pro-Trump Super PAC Right for America, will join the White House as director of the Presidential Personnel Office. Both Cheung and Gor will hold titles of assistant to the president.

"Steven Cheung and Sergio Gor have been trusted Advisors since my first Presidential Campaign in 2016, and have continued to champion America First principles throughout my First Term, all the way to our Historic Victory in 2024,” Trump said in a statement. “I am thrilled to have them join my White House as we, Make America Great Again!”

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Gor is a business partner of Donald Trump Jr. and was previously CEO of the conservative publishing house Winning Team Publishing. He also previously worked for U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky.

As director of communications, Cheung will lead the communications office within the White House. Trump on Friday also named Karoline Leavitt his White House press secretary, a role that includes addressing reporters from the podium at press briefings. Leavitt worked as the Trump campaign's 2024 national press secretary.

A long-time political operative, Cheung started out as an intern in the office of then-California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. He also worked on the 2008 Republican presidential candidate John McCain.

Schwarzenegger and McCain later became prominent critics of Trump, while Cheung went on to become one of his most well-known spokesmen.

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After a stint as spokesman for Ultimate Fighting Championship, Cheung joined Trump's 2016 presidential campaign and became director of rapid response. Cheung did similar tasks in the Trump White House, and led the communications effort behind the 2017 nomination of Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch.

Cheung stuck with Trump after his defeat in the 2020 presidential election and fallout from the near-insurrection of Jan. 6, 2021.

Serving as communications director for the 2024 Trump campaign, Cheung often used rhetoric as hard as his boss.

A year ago, Trump used the term "vermin" to describe opponents, a term employed by 20th century dictators like Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini.

As opponents compared Trump to fascist dictators, Cheung responded: "Those who try to make that ridiculous assertion are clearly snowflakes grasping for anything because they are suffering from Trump Derangement Syndrome and their entire existence will be crushed when President Trump returns to the White House."

Trump has moved quickly to fill top positions in his White House and Cabinet since his election victory last week including hiring senior campaign adviser Susie Wiles as his White House chief of staff and nominating Sen. Marco Rubio as secretary of State and former Rep. Matt Gaetz as attorney general.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump picks Steven Cheung for White House communications director