Overview
- Steven Cheung used the R-word in a direct reply to Rachel Cohen on X after she criticized CNN for interviewing former DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin.
- He first defended McLaughlin as one of the best communicators and called Cohen a loser before posting the slur.
- Mediaite documented that he used the same slur in February to deride Reps. Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie.
- HuffPost and Mediaite framed the episode as part of Cheung’s record of aggressive Trump-style broadsides at critics and reporters.
- Reporters noted that Trump has also used the slur in public remarks, providing context for the tone set by his communications team.