PoliticsDonald Trump's Nickname for White House Communications Director Steven Cheung Revealed
Donald Trump is a frequent creator of nicknames for his aides, family members and friends.
June 23 2026, Published 2:35 p.m. ET
President Donald Trump refers to White House Communications Director Steven Cheung as "Luca Brasi," the fictional, ruthless mafia enforcer from The Godfather.
Details of the nickname were revealed in the explosive new book Regime Change by New York Times reporters Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan.
The moniker highlights how Trump has embraced Cheung’s volatile, aggressive streak and physically imposing presence.
Donald Trump allegedly called Steven Cheung 'a more violent version of Kim Jong Un.'
Trump, a well-known fan of The Godfather, compared Cheung to Vito Corleone’s loyal hitman. In the book, reporters describe Cheung as a "physically enormous" presence roaming the West Wing with a "shaved head" and "an omnipresent sneer."
In addition to the mafia moniker, the book reveals that Trump has privately praised Cheung, 44, born to Chinese immigrant parents, by calling him “a more violent version of Kim Jong Un.”
Trump has also publicly poked fun at Cheung's weight, previously referring to him as "my sumo wrestler" and publicly outing him during an event for taking GLP-1 weight-loss medication.
Stephen Cheung has barked at Jimmy Kimmel, Stephen Colbert, Joanna Coles and Michael Wolff, among others.
Cheung has long served as Trump's primary "attack dog," leaning heavily into an abrasive, profanity-laced style of communication. Some of his notable public broadsides include dropping an ablest slur against a female Senate aide during an online spat, hurling aggressive, vulgar insults at late-night hosts, calling Jimmy Kimmel a "s--- human" and Stephen Colbert an "entitled p----,” and telling a Huffington Post reporter, "You must be truly f--king stupid if you think we're not transparent," when questioned about White House transcripts.
He often hurls insults at The Daily Beast, which has been intrepid in its reporting of the president’s allegedly failing health, calling Joanna Coles, The Daily Beast’s chief content officer, a “blithering idiot,” and Michael Wolff, co-host of the Daily Beast’s "Inside Trump’s Head" podcast, a “lying sack of s---.”
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Steven Cheung works as Donald Trump's 'attack dog.'
According to reports, this "shock-and-awe" public persona is strongly encouraged by Trump, who delights in Cheung's willingness to troll opponents and media outlets aggressively.
“Whatever Steven says or does is directed to an audience of one,” Wolff said. “He issues these kinds of vituperative comments, which Trump likes. ‘That’s a good one,’ Trump will say.”
Donald Trump's White House communications director typically uses a volatile approach when addressing critics.
Appointed by Trump in November 2024, Cheung transitioned to his official role at the start of the administration's second term in January 2025.
He served as the primary communications director and campaign spokesman during Trump’s successful 2024 presidential campaign. He also held key messaging roles in both the 2016 and 2020 campaigns (director of rapid response).
Before his political career, he was a prominent corporate communications executive for the UFC.
