← Chronicle · Succession · January 20, 2025

Steven Cheung Becomes White House Communications Director

Steven Cheung became White House Communications Director on January 20, 2025, taking office with the incoming administration on Inauguration Day. The communications director is a senior staff appointment made by the President; it carries no Senate confirmation, so there is no confirmation vote to record for this entry.

The mission that started here is the administration’s message operation — the communications shop Cheung runs from inside the White House, a portfolio that later absorbed part of the departing Taylor Budowich’s responsibilities. This chronicle tracks it through the roster record, where Cheung remains the incumbent communications director.

Sources: Trump Team Report roster audit, research cluster C (Tier 3–4 source map, banked 2026-10-18): Cheung — Comms Director incumbent; absorbed part of Budowich portfolio.