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Steven Cheung (political advisor)

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Steven Cheung
Personal details
Born (1982-06-23) June 23, 1982 (age 42)
Sacramento, California, U.S
Political partyRepublican
EducationCalifornia State University, Sacramento (BA)

Huyen "Steven" Cheung (born June 23, 1982) is an American political advisor who is Donald Trump's campaign spokesman in the 2024 Republican Party presidential primaries and served in the Donald Trump's administration.[1][2] He previously worked in Trump's 2016 and 2020 campaigns. He also worked in communications for the sports organization Ultimate Fighting Championship based in Las Vegas, Nevada.[3]

Early life

Cheung was born in Sacramento, California, to Chinese parents who immigrated to the U.S. and was raised in Sacramento.[4][5] He was a high school football player.[6] He attended California State University, Sacramento where he majored in computer science, electrical engineering, and government.[7][8][failed verification][9]

Career

Political campaigns and UFC

In 2003, Cheung began his political career in then Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's administration in California.[10] He moved to Washington, D.C., in 2008 to work on the John McCain presidential campaign.[11][12] Cheung has served on the campaigns of Steve Poizner for California governor, Sharron Angle for U.S. Senate, and Texas Lt. Governor David Dewhurst for U.S. Senate.[13] In 2013, Cheung transitioned into a career with the Ultimate Fighting Championship in Las Vegas, Nevada, where he worked as "a director of communications for public affairs at the UFC."[14] He was involved in the UFC practice of banning reporters critical of the organization from live events.[15]

Trump 2016 campaign and transition

Before then candidate Donald Trump was nominated as the Republican presidential nominee at the Republican National Convention in 2016, Cheung left his job at the UFC and joined the Trump campaign's communications and press team as Director of Rapid Response.[16][3] His duties included "keeping the campaign up to date on breaking news and pushing back on false or unbalanced reporting" according to a press release.[17]

Cheung, who is an Asian American,[18] was involved in a statement disavowing support from the Ku Klux Klan and a white supremacist newspaper, who endorsed Trump's campaign. He said, "Mr. Trump and the campaign denounces hate in any form. This publication is repulsive and their views do not represent the tens of millions of Americans who are uniting behind our campaign."[19]

After Trump's victory over Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, Cheung was named as an advisor to the presidential transition team.[20][21][22] According to media reports, he was at one point considered for the role of White House Press Secretary.[23] That job ultimately went to Sean Spicer.[24]

Trump White House

Cheung was named as Special Assistant to the President and Assistant Communications Director at the White House on January 19, 2017, one day prior to Trump's inauguration.[2] He was part of a team tasked with helping nominate and confirm Neil Gorsuch to the United States Supreme Court. Gorsuch was eventually confirmed to the Supreme Court by the United States Senate by a 54–45 vote.[25] Shortly after Gorsuch's confirmation, Cheung assumed a different position at the White House.[26]

On August 16, 2017, Cheung was appointed as Special Assistant to the President and Director of Strategic Response.[27] He then worked on the passage of Trump's tax reform bill, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.[28] The bill successfully passed Congress and Trump signed it into law on December 22, 2017.[29]

According to the book Sinking in the Swamp: How Trump's Minions and Misfits Poisoned Washington, Cheung, along with three others, were referred to as "the killers" in the White House by Jared Kushner and Stephen Bannon. They were considered by Bannon to be "innovative and action oriented".[30]

On June 11, 2018, Politico reported Cheung left the White House,[31] amid a contentious period with Chief of Staff John F. Kelly making changes to Trump's White House communications staff. Amid leaks and infighting, Kelly overhauled the communications team, which led to additional departures.[25] New York Times White House journalist Maggie Haberman reported on CNN that "Cheung's name had been on several lists going back to 2017 of people who could be on the chopping block. And it has been surprising every single time. He was on the campaign. He was seen as a high performer. He was one of the hardest workers. He was involved, from the White House end, in the Gorsuch nomination coms effort, and he was involved in the tax reform coms effort" and he was "one of the more respected members of [the communications] staff on the campaign."[32][33] It was later revealed that Cheung's annual White House salary was $131,000.[34] Cheung later appeared in a contentious interview with CNN on June 28, 2018, where critics accused him of politicizing the confirmation process of the United States Supreme Court.[35]

Trump 2020 campaign

Politico reported that President Trump's 2020 re-election campaign retained the services of the firm Solgence, which is owned and operated by Cheung.[36] As part of the 2020 campaign, Cheung worked on putting together the Republican National Convention in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.[37]

After the 2020 US presidential election, in which Trump was defeated by Joe Biden, Cheung was involved in the Trump campaign's efforts to overturn the election. Despite Trump's baseless claims, according to experts, there has been no evidence of election fraud.[38][39][40][41]

Post Trump presidency

Cheung was named the spokesman of the Trump 2024 presidential campaign. After Trump was criticized in October 2023 for his statement that undocumented immigrants were "poisoning the blood of our country," echoing language of white supremacists and Adolf Hitler, Cheung responded:

That's a normal phrase that is used in everyday life – in books, television, movies, and in news articles. For anyone to think that is racist or xenophobic is living in an alternate reality consumed with non-sensical outrage."[42]

After Trump was criticized in November 2023 for using language of fascist dictators by referring to his political opponents as "vermin," Cheung said:

Those who try to make that ridiculous assertion are clearly snowflakes grasping for anything because they are suffering from Trump Derangement Syndrome and their sad, miserable existence will be crushed when President Trump returns to the White House.[43]

Cheung was a senior advisor on the 2022 U.S. Senate campaign of former Missouri Governor Eric Greitens.[44][45]

Axios reported that Cheung joined as senior advisor to reality star Caitlyn Jenner's gubernatorial campaign in California during the 2021 recall election. Jenner's bid for governor was unsuccessful.[10]

Cheung also served as an advisor and spokesperson for former congressman Jim Renacci's 2022 campaign for Ohio governor.[46]

Media outlets reported in 2022 that Cheung began advising cryptocurrency entrepreneur and philanthropist Brock Pierce.[47]

Congressional campaign

Politico reported on January 25, 2022, that Cheung was eyeing a House of Representatives seat in California's 9th congressional district after Rep. Jerry McNerney (D) announced his retirement.[7]

MAGA Inc.

As of 2023, Cheung was the communications director of Trump's MAGA Inc. super PAC.[48][49][50][51][52][53][54]

Non-political work

Cheung has written opinion articles for USA Today, Fox News, and the Washington Examiner.[55][56][57]

References

  1. ^ Vigdor, Neil (June 18, 2023). "In Nevada, DeSantis Sells Republicans on Ending 'Culture of Losing'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 19, 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Press Release - President-Elect Donald J. Trump Announces Second Wave of Additional White House Staff | The American Presidency Project". presidency.ucsb.edu. Retrieved February 17, 2022.
  3. ^ a b Flood, Brian (July 11, 2016). "Donald Trump Hires UFC Executive as He Gears Up for Fight Against Hillary Clinton". Retrieved February 17, 2022.
  4. ^ Sokolove, Michael. "How Trump's 2024 campaign became a bloody cage fight". Mother Jones. Retrieved May 22, 2024.
  5. ^ "Meet Donald Trump's 'sumo wrestler' campaign spokesman, Steven Cheung". South China Morning Post. April 26, 2024. Retrieved May 22, 2024.
  6. ^ Sokolove, Michael. "How Trump's 2024 campaign became a bloody cage fight". Mother Jones. Retrieved May 22, 2024.
  7. ^ a b Bade, Rachael; Palmeri, Tara (January 25, 2022). "Politico Playbook: Schumer strategy leaves some Dems seething". Politico. Retrieved February 17, 2022.
  8. ^ "Revolving Door: Steven Cheung Education". opensecrets.org. Retrieved February 17, 2022.
  9. ^ Sokolove, Michael. "How Trump's 2024 campaign became a bloody cage fight". Mother Jones. Retrieved May 22, 2024.
  10. ^ a b Markay, Lachlan; Treene, Alayna; Swan, Jonathan (April 23, 2021). "Caitlyn Jenner files paperwork to run for governor of California". Axios. Retrieved February 17, 2022.
  11. ^ Kanski, Alison (July 11, 2016). "Trump campaign bulks up comms team with Bryan Lanza and Steven Cheung". prweek.com. Retrieved February 17, 2022.
  12. ^ Sokolove, Michael. "How Trump's 2024 campaign became a bloody cage fight". Mother Jones. Retrieved May 22, 2024.
  13. ^ "PolitiFact - Ted Cruz says David Dewhurst's camp called him a Chinese Communist". Politico. Retrieved February 17, 2022.
  14. ^ "Donald Trump Hires UFC Press Agent to Be His New "Rapid Response" Guy". vice.com. July 12, 2016. Retrieved February 17, 2022.
  15. ^ "Donald Trump has hired a former UFC executive for presidential campaign". SportsJOE.ie. July 12, 2016. Retrieved February 17, 2022.
  16. ^ "Donald Trump hires former UFC staffer to presidential campaign". For The Win. July 11, 2016. Retrieved February 17, 2022.
  17. ^ "Press Release - Trump Campaign Announces Expansion of Communications Team | The American Presidency Project". presidency.ucsb.edu. Archived from the original on February 17, 2022. Retrieved February 17, 2022.
  18. ^ https://www.politico.com/news/2020/06/23/playbook-birthday-steven-cheung-335271
  19. ^ "Ku Klux Klan newspaper declares support for Trump". Reuters. November 2, 2016. Retrieved February 17, 2022.
  20. ^ "Trump adds vice chairs to transition team, including several women". Politico. November 29, 2016. Retrieved February 17, 2022.
  21. ^ "Press Release - President-Elect Donald J. Trump Announces New Vice Chairs and Executive Committee Members Serving on Presidential Transition Team | The American Presidency Project". presidency.ucsb.edu. Retrieved February 17, 2022.
  22. ^ Brown, Heath (December 12, 2016). "Focus on communications, not policy, sets Trump transition apart". The Hill. Retrieved February 17, 2022.
  23. ^ "White House press briefings could be totally bonkers under Donald Trump". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved February 17, 2022.
  24. ^ "Trump names Sean Spicer press secretary, announces other senior members of his press team". CNBC. December 22, 2016. Retrieved May 19, 2022.
  25. ^ a b Karni, Annie (June 11, 2018). "White House aide Steven Cheung leaves communications staff". Politico. Retrieved February 17, 2022.
  26. ^ Estepa, Jessica. "Hope Hicks is officially the White House communications director". USA Today. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
  27. ^ "Political power plays". Axios. September 13, 2017. Retrieved February 17, 2022.
  28. ^ Sanchez, Luis (June 11, 2018). "White House communications aide Steven Cheung leaves position: report". The Hill. Retrieved February 17, 2022.
  29. ^ "Here's When the GOP Tax Reform Bill Will Take Effect". Fortune. Retrieved February 17, 2022.
  30. ^ Markay, Lachlan; Suebsaeng, Asawin (2020). Sinking in the Swamp: How Trump's Minions and Misfits Poisoned Washington. Penguin. p. 130. ISBN 978-1-9848-7856-4.
  31. ^ "Meet Donald Trump's 'sumo wrestler' campaign spokesman, Steven Cheung". South China Morning Post. April 26, 2024. Retrieved May 22, 2024.
  32. ^ "CNN.com - Transcripts". edition.cnn.com. Retrieved February 17, 2022.
  33. ^ Haberman, Maggie (June 11, 2018). "Twitter". Twitter. Archived from the original on February 17, 2022. Retrieved February 17, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  34. ^ Bindrim, Kira (July 2017). "All of Donald Trump's White House staffers, ranked by salary". Quartz. Retrieved February 17, 2022.
  35. ^ "CNN.com - Transcripts". cnn.com. Retrieved May 19, 2022.
  36. ^ Beavers, David (August 15, 2019). "Former Trump staffers consulting for president's reelect". Politico. Retrieved February 17, 2022.
  37. ^ Scherer, Michael (August 28, 2020). "Republicans try to change President Trump's image for skeptical voters". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 18, 2022.
  38. ^ Corasaniti, Nick; Epstein, Reid J.; Rutenberg, Jim (November 11, 2020). "The Times Called Officials in Every State: No Evidence of Voter Fraud". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 17, 2022.
  39. ^ Farley, Robert (November 8, 2020). "FactCheck: Trump sticks with bogus voter fraud claim". Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved February 17, 2022.
  40. ^ Farley, Robert (November 28, 2016). "Trump Sticks With Bogus Voter Fraud Claims". FactCheck.org. Retrieved February 17, 2022.
  41. ^ Wolfe, Jan (January 6, 2022). "Factbox: Trump's false claims debunked: the 2020 election and Jan. 6 riot". Reuters. Retrieved February 17, 2022.
  42. ^ Sullivan, Kate (October 6, 2023). "Trump's anti-immigrant comments draw rebuke". CNN.
  43. ^ Gold, Michael (November 13, 2023). "After Calling Foes 'Vermin,' Trump Campaign Warns Its Critics Will Be 'Crushed'". The New York Times.
  44. ^ "CNN - Breaking News, Latest News and Videos". lite.cnn.com. Archived from the original on February 17, 2022. Retrieved February 17, 2022.
  45. ^ Treene, Alayna (December 15, 2021). "Trump Republicans eager to dethrone McConnell as GOP leader". Axios. Retrieved February 17, 2022.
  46. ^ Ball, Brian (August 18, 2021). "Renacci Asks Ohio Attorney General, Secretary of State to Investigate Sources of DeWine Campaign Cash". The Ohio Star. Retrieved February 17, 2022.
  47. ^ Schreckinger, Ben (April 22, 2022). "Bannon is helping a Vermont crypto bro get elected to the Senate". Politico. Retrieved May 19, 2022.
  48. ^ "Trump eyes longtime Virginia operative for senior 2024 campaign role", The Washington Post.
  49. ^ Dorn, Sara (October 26, 2022). "Trump-Linked Super PAC Spends Millions In These Key Senate Races". Forbes.
  50. ^ Isenstadt, Alex (September 23, 2022). "Trump to unleash millions in the midterms in possible prelude to 2024". POLITICO.
  51. ^ Gabby Orr, Dan Merica, Fredreka Schouten (September 23, 2022). "Trump allies launch new super PAC to bolster GOP candidates in midterms as former President eyes 2024 campaign". CNN.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  52. ^ "Trump Has a 'Solid' 2024 Team But MAGA Fringe Never Far Away". Time. November 23, 2022.
  53. ^ Samuels, Brett (September 23, 2022). "Top Trump allies launch super PAC to back endorsed candidates". The Hill.
  54. ^ Petrizzo, Jake Lahut,Zachary (December 9, 2022). "Did Donald Trump Already Forget He's Running for President?". The Daily Beast.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  55. ^ Cheung, Steven. "Hawaii's Mauna Kea must be respected. Build the Thirty Meter Telescope somewhere else". USA Today. Retrieved February 17, 2022.
  56. ^ Cheung, Steven (November 29, 2018). "Trump is winning on trade -- Don't let the 'experts' fool you". Fox News. Retrieved February 17, 2022.
  57. ^ "The coronavirus came from China. That's not racism; it's a fact". Washington Examiner. March 24, 2020. Retrieved February 17, 2022.
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