Trump names campaign spokespeople to top White House communications roles

President-elect Donald Trump on Friday elevated two of his campaign’s spokespeople to top communications roles in his incoming administration.

Trump named his campaign’s spokesman, Steven Cheung, as his White House communications director. His campaign’s national press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, will be White House press secretary, he said Friday evening.

The position of communications director is separate from the role of press secretary, though people have served in both roles simultaneously in the past.

Cheung will also serve as assistant to the president. During Trump’s first term, he was director of strategic response. Cheung has been long known as a pugilistic defender of Trump, but his role has primarily been behind the cameras. He is active on social media, though, where he remains a vociferous defender of his boss.

Cheung assumes a position that saw unusual turnover during Trump’s first term. During that term, six different people held that title under seven different stints. None lasted more than a year.

Anthony Scaramucci infamously lasted in the post for only 11 days during Trump’s first term. Both he and another White House communications director, Stephanie Grisham, have since broken from their former boss.

Prior to working on Trump’s first campaign, Cheung was a spokesman for the Ultimate Fighting Championship. The ties between the UFC and president-elect are strong; Trump frequently sits ringside at UFC fights, and UFC President and CEO Dana White is a longtime friend of Trump’s who spoke at the Republican National Convention this summer.

Cheung handled Trump’s communications during several newsworthy incidents during the campaign, including the aftermath of an alleged incident at Arlington National Cemetery, where an apparent confrontation between a cemetery worker and members of Trump’s campaign drew a rebuke from the Army. Cheung promised to release video showing that confrontation but never did.

Leavitt currently serves as the Trump-Vance transition spokeswoman. She consistently defended Trump on the campaign trail and in recent days has rolled out a flurry of announcements from the president-elect naming staff and Cabinet picks – many of them controversial – for his incoming administration.

Leavitt herself is no stranger to the White House, having worked as an assistant press secretary during Trump’s first term. She will join a communications shop that was previously known for its significant turnover and unorthodox press strategy.

Trump’s press secretary role was held – for various lengths of time – by Sean Spicer, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Scaramucci, Grisham and Kayleigh McEnany during his first administration.

“Karoline is smart, tough, and has proven to be a highly effective communicator,” Trump said in a statement Friday. “I have the utmost confidence she will excel at the podium, and help deliver our message to the American People as we, Make America Great Again.”

Following the 2020 election, Leavitt worked as communications director for New York Rep. Elise Stefanik, who Trump recently named as his pick for US ambassador to the United Nations. In 2022, Leavitt mounted an unsuccessful bid for New Hampshire’s 1st Congressional District, winning the GOP nomination in a crowded primary but eventually losing to Democratic incumbent Rep. Chris Pappas.

The Trump transition team also announced on Friday that Trump ally Sergio Gor will serve as assistant to the president, as well as the director of presidential personnel. CNN previously reported that Gor was tapped for the director of presidential personnel position.

“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!”

This story has been updated with additional reporting.