Meet Donald Trump’s ‘sumo wrestler’ spokesman, Steven Cheung: he interned under Arnold Schwarzenegger, did communications for UFC, and now he’s on the 2024 presidential election campaign trail
Donald Trump is no stranger to controversy, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that he would hire Steven Cheung – the man who protects his boss against all haters, no matter how valid the criticism – as his campaign spokesman.
Cheung, 41, was born to Chinese immigrants in the United States and raised in Sacramento, California. According to Mother Jones, he graduated from California State University having studied political and computer science.
How Steven Cheung got his start in politics
According to Politico, he said of the experience, “It was one of the most rewarding jobs I’ve ever had because I learned the importance of what not to do just as much as what I should do.”
He also worked on the 2008 John McCain/Sarah Palin presidential campaign as an administrative assistant.
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What is Steven Cheung’s connection to Donald Trump?
Per Politico, Sanders said of his departure: “Steven Cheung was an early member of the campaign team and has been in the White House from day one. He is well-liked, talented, smart, and served this president extremely well.”
According to Reuters, in 2020, he joined Trump’s re-election campaign as a spokesman, through his company Solgence. The New Yorker has reported that Trump refers to Cheung as his “sumo wrestler”.
Unsurprisingly, Biden’s administration and other Democrats were not pleased. Biden campaign communications director Michael Tyler voiced concerns that the post could come off as encouraging harm towards Biden. According to The Guardian, he stated, “Trump is regularly inciting political violence and it’s time people take him seriously.”
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According to Mother Jones, Cheung and Trump bonded over their mutual love of combat sport and WWE. The pair have been seen together at UFC fights in Vegas. UFC president Dana White is a long-time Trump supporter, as well.
What has Steven Cheung said about Donald Trump’s rivals?
Working with Trump and his supporters means that Cheung has seen his fair share of controversy. On Veterans Day last year, on November 13, Trump sparked outrage when he called his political opponents and critics “vermin” in a speech, prompting historians to compare him to dictators such as Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini, according to The Washington Post.
What Cheung had to say in response? “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,” he declared, per the same source.
In an interview with La Política, Cheung replied to a question about Biden’s age by saying: “It’s not about Biden’s age. It’s about his mental acuity, mind and ability. It’s not an age issue. When you see Biden trying a speech and he can’t find the words, he stammers and hesitates, when he is trying to get on a plane and falls, those are images that stick in the voters’ minds.”
- After graduating, Cheung interned with then-California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and later joined John McCain’s 2008 presidential campaign team – but what has he said about Joe Biden?
- Cheung and Trump are both fans of combat sport and WWE, and have been seen together at UFC fights in Vegas – UFC president Dana White is a long-time Trump supporter too