"Broke dick": Meet the man behind Trump's vicious, insulting campaign

The MoJo Daily newsletter, Monday through Friday. [View in browser]( [Support our nonprofit journalism]( [Mother Jones Daily Newsletter](     April 5, 2024 I’ll admit that I sometimes laugh aloud at the things [Steven Cheung](, Donald Trump’s campaign spokesman, [posts on X](. It’s not that the posts are inherently funny. It’s more that they’re so [outrageously middle-school-bullyish]( that they manage to both amuse and repel me. An example: On Monday, Cheung posted a screenshot showing online attendance for an obscure Biden media event. His caption: “Broke dick press conference by @BidenHQ with only 59 people watching.” Broke dick. I mean, is this what our political discourse has come to? Seems so. In Cheung’s trollish postings, Chris Christie is a “weak b*tch,” “birdbrain” Nikki Haley is “f*cking stupid,” and presidents Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, and Joe Biden are “dumb and dumber…and dumbest.” Cheung's posts didn't use the asterisks, but I added them out of respect for your email program's trash filters. Presidential campaigns have always been dogfights, as the talented Michael Sokolove reminds us in [his profile of Steven Cheung]( published today by Mother Jones, and Trump is one dirty dog, but such base and aggressive rhetoric from a campaign spokesperson is pretty unprecedented. It makes sense that Cheung [cut his teeth doing comms for the Ultimate Fighting Championship](, an organization that promotes brutal cage fights that are particularly popular in demographics the Trump campaign wouldn't mind poaching. Trump, himself a huge boxing and pro-wrestling fan, has become a UFC devotee as well. He and Cheung bonded, Sokolove writes, “over their mutual affection for combat sports.” And sure, past Trump spokespeople were combative, too. But Cheung pumps things up further, channeling that hyper-macho UFC sensibility as he amplifies his boss’ personal grievances, aggressions, and ruthlessness, and gleefully pummels political rivals and cultural critics, even people who very reasonably question Trump’s Nazi-esque characterization of migrants as “vermin.” Behind the scenes, though, Cheung is at the center of a comms operation that is far more professional and sophisticated than Trump has ever had before. His pugilism aside, Sokolove cautions, Cheung “is disciplined and laser-focused on the mission: Elect Trump at all costs.” Be sure not to miss [this crucial piece](. —Michael Mechanic Advertisement [Get your copy of Loose of Earth today!]( [Top Story] [Top Story]( [How Trump’s 2024 Campaign Became a Bloody Cage Fight]( Just ask his incendiary spokesman, Steven Cheung. 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