President-elect Donald J. Trump announced on Friday that he had chosen Steven Cheung, his chief campaign spokesman, to be his White House communications director.
Mr. Cheung, who once worked in communications for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, served in Mr. Trump’s administration as the director of strategic response. He will return to the White House next year in a top communications position.
Mr. Trump has long favored vocal, forceful allies, and his decision to elevate Mr. Cheung is one of several recent announcements that reinforce that preference. During the campaign, Mr. Cheung often issued provocative, at times offensive, statements attacking Mr. Trump’s political enemies and the news media.
His most vicious barbs in written statements came during the Republican primaries when he would frequently hurl personal attacks denigrating Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, who was once Mr. Trump’s foremost Republican rival.
Mr. Cheung, who frequently uses hypermasculine language favored by many on the ultra-online right, seemed to take particular delight in questioning Mr. DeSantis’s masculinity, calling him a “desperate eunuch” and once saying the governor walked like a girl who “discovered heels for the first time.”
Mr. Cheung’s statements at times have provoked strong criticism from Democrats. After Mr. Trump last year likened his political enemies to “vermin” that needed to be rooted out, drawing condemnation from some liberals and historians for echoing the dehumanizing rhetoric of fascist dictators, Mr. Cheung stood firm, and issued a scathing, violent retort.
Although Mr. Cheung often traveled with Mr. Trump, he often ceded appearances on television news — which are viewed as crucial by Mr. Trump and his allies — to other members of the campaign’s communication team, including Karoline Leavitt, the campaign’s press secretary, and Jason Miller, a senior adviser.
Mr. Trump has not yet announced a White House press secretary.
On Friday, Mr. Trump also said he would ask Sergio Gor, who has helped run the publishing company that produces Mr. Trump’s books, to run the White House’s presidential personnel office.
The office helps vet political appointees, and Mr. Gor will likely play an important role in helping Mr. Trump, who cares deeply about whether prospective staff meet his standards for loyalty, fill positions.
“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,” Mr. Trump said in a statement.
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