California native emerges as possible replacement for White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt

Nypost · Aug 12, 2026 · 398 words · By Titus Wu

White House Personnel Changes Steven Cheung's Professional Background

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What to know about White House Personnel Changes

California native emerges as possible replacement for White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt See more of our coverage in your search results.

Claims checked 15

Techniques found 1

Topics 2

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center50%

Right50%

2 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

California native emerges as possible replacement for White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt See more of our coverage in your search results.

Why it matters

Add The California Post on Google One of the leading contenders to replace departing White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt is a California native who once worked for Gov.

Common ground

Pundits say a natural fit for the role would be Steven Cheung, who is already serving as the White House communications director.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this White House Personnel Changes story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that On predictions site Kalshi, Cheung was given a 13% chance to succeed Leavitt as of Wednesday afternoon. Bettors predicted that only Kelly and Alina Habba, a former personal lawyer for Trump, had higher odds, at 74% and 21%, respectively?
How does this story connect White House Personnel Changes with Steven Cheung's Professional Background over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/08/12/media/california-man-on-list-to-replace-white-hous…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 1 propaganda technique in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 70% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 15 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 6

schedule Pending 5

info Single Source 3

verified Verified By Reference 1

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Claim 1: “On predictions site Kalshi, Cheung was given a 13% chance to succeed Leavitt as of Wednesday afternoon. Bettors predicted that only Kelly and Alina Habba, a former personal lawyer for Trump, had higher odds, at 74% and 21%, respectively.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

verified

Claim 2: “Cheung... was born in Sacramento to Chinese immigrant parents.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia and multiple web sources confirm Steven Cheung was born in Sacramento to Chinese immigrant parents.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a list of encyclopedic persons (students, alumni, faculty, staff, or academic affiliates) associated with California State University, Sacramento (Sacramento State).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Sacramento_State_peopl…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Raymond "Shrimp Boy" Kwok-Cheung Chow (Chinese: 周國祥; Jyutping: zau1 gwok3 coeng4; born December 31, 1959) is a Hong Kong-born felon with ties to a San Francisco Chinatown street gang and an organized …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raymond_"Shrimp_Boy"_Chow

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Steven Cheung (born June 23, 1982) is an American political advisor who has served as the White House communications director since 2025. Cheung attended California State University, Sacramento, but d…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steven_Cheung

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 3: “As a student, his communications career began as an intern to former Gov. Schwarzenegger.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm he interned for Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, with some specifying it was as a speechwriting intern.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Huyen "Steven" Cheung is an American political advisor serving as President-elect Donald Trump's campaign spokesman in the 2024 United States presidential election. He previously worked in Trump's 201…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steven_Cheung_(political_advis…

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web search NEUTRAL — Steven Cheung (pictured) interned with Arnold Schwarzenegger after graduating from university. Photo: Getty Images. Cheung has had an extensive and varied communications career in politics, sports and…
https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3…

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web search NEUTRAL — Since Mr. Cheung was a speechwriting intern for Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger it is fair to assume he knows the meaning of the word “wrong” even if Donald Trump doesn’t. He must also know what side of th…
https://medium.com/@HalMBrown/trump-has-ants-is-his-pants-an…

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Claim 4: “gave birth to her second child, Viviana, in May and had officially returned from maternity leave last month.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

info

Claim 5: “The president even nicknamed him “Luca Brasi,” a ruthless enforcer who serves a mafia boss in the movie “The Godfather,” according to the book “Regime Change.””

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided evidence for this claim consists of irrelevant search results for 'Regus' (a workspace company) rather than the book 'Regime Change'.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — 1 day ago · Get Regus USA coupon codes, promos & deals for Sep 2026. Find the latest Regus USA promo codes at DontPayFull.
https://www.dontpayfull.com/at/regus.com

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — 5 days ago · Regus takes the guesswork out of meeting room savings with automatic discounts that increase based on how long you book. No codes to remember, no fine print to decode — just straightforwa…
https://www.groupon.com/coupons/regus

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — How do I get the best discount at Regus? You can try all 5 coupons to find out with which code you save the most money, or directly choose a code that is recommended by TrustDeals.com.
https://www.trustdeals.com/view/regus.com

schedule

Claim 6: “Alina Habba, a former personal lawyer for Trump”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 7: “He later worked for a variety of political campaigns before landing a role with Ultimate Fighting Championship in 2013.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided evidence for this claim consists of irrelevant search results about 'Steven Universe' and the name 'Stephen'. No evidence regarding the UFC was found in the provided text.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Steven Universe is set in the fictional town of Beach City, where the Crystal Gems live in an ancient temple and protect humanity from monsters and other threats. The Gems are ageless, genderless alie…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steven_Universe

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The name, in both the forms Stephen and Steven, is often shortened to Steve or Stevie. In English, the female version of the name is Stephanie. Many surnames are derived from the first name, including…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Believe in Steven! Steven Universe is a half-human, half-Gem hero who's learning to save the world with the magical powers that come from his bellybutton.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5yaRAqKKYYApdr326HQnsg

schedule

Claim 8: “Assistant Press Secretary Liz Huston and longtime Trump aide Margo Martin... could also be promoted to the role.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 9: “He attended California State University, Sacramento to study political science.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm he attended California State University, Sacramento; some specify he studied political science and computer science.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Steven Ng-Sheong Cheung ( CHUNG; born December 1, 1935) is a Hong Kong-born American economist who specializes in the fields of transaction costs and property rights, following the approach of new ins…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steven_N._S._Cheung

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This page lists notable alumni and former students, faculty, and administrators of California State University, Northridge.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_California_State_Unive…

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 10: “One of the leading contenders to replace departing White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt is a California native who once worked for Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm Steven Cheung is a California native who interned for Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and is currently taking over Press Secretary duties during Karoline Leavitt's maternity leave.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Patrick Arnold Shriver Schwarzenegger (born September 18, 1993) is an American actor. The son of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver, he began his career playing minor roles in the early 2000s, an…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrick_Schwarzenegger

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2006 California gubernatorial election occurred in the US state on November 7, 2006. The primary elections took place on June 6, 2006. The incumbent Republican Governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, won…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006_California_gubernatorial_…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Arnold Schwarzenegger took office as the 38th governor of California in a 2003 recall election. He was subsequently elected Governor when the previous governor Gray Davis was recalled and Schwarzenegg…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Governorship_of_Arnold_Schwarz…

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 11: “Cheung helped oversee some of Leavitt’s responsibilities while she was away on maternity leave.”

CORROBORATED

Two independent web sources (Irish Star and a news report on rotating briefers) confirm Steven Cheung is overseeing the press secretary responsibilities during Karoline Leavitt's maternity leave.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The core White House staff appointments, and most Executive Office of the President officials generally, are not required to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate, with a handful of exceptions (e.g., the di…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Executive_Office_appointments_…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Taylor Anthony Budowich (born November 3, 1989) is an American political consultant who served as the White House deputy chief of staff for communications and personnel and the White House cabinet sec…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taylor_Budowich

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The White House communications director, known officially as Assistant to the President for Communications, is part of the senior staff of the president of the United States. The officeholder is respo…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_House_Communications_Dir…

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 12: “Since 2016, Cheung’s career has all been with Trump.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided evidence includes irrelevant results about 'Steven Universe'. While one source mentions he worked in Trump's 2016 and 2020 campaigns, there is no evidence confirming he worked *exclusively* for Trump since 2016.

travel_explore

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Claim 13: “Steven Cheung, who is already serving as the White House communications director.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent news sources (Al Jazeera, Flipboard) and Wikipedia explicitly identify Steven Cheung as the White House Communications Director.

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cross reference SUPPORTS — On Wednesday (13 May), the secretary of state was pictured in a grey Nike tracksuit by White House communications director Steven Cheung
https://flipboard.com/topic/news/new-burn-bans-and-trump-s-b…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Cheung is a Cantonese romanization of several Chinese surnames, including 張 (simplified Chinese: 张; Jyutping: Zoeng1; pinyin: Zhāng; Wade–Giles: Chang1; Vietnamese: Trương), 章 (Jyutping: Zoeng1; pinyi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheung

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+ 5 more evidence sources

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Claim 14: “Leavitt, 28, a mother of two and the youngest ever White House press secretary”

CORROBORATED

Two independent news sources (NY Post and BBC News) confirm Karoline Leavitt is 28, a mother of two, and the youngest ever White House press secretary.

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cross reference SUPPORTS — Leavitt, 28, a mother of two and the youngest ever White House press secretary
https://nypost.com/2026/08/12/us-news/karoline-leavitt-leavi…

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cross reference SUPPORTS — Leavitt, 28, took the job as White House Press Secretary last year - becoming the youngest person to ever have the role.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvglzrvyrz3o?at_medium=R…

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Claim 15: “Other names being floated to replace Leavitt include Anna Kelly, the White House principal deputy press secretary, and Taylor Rogers, a senior communications official who previously worked on Trump’s campaign.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.