Donald Trump has reportedly bestowed a mafia-themed nickname on one of his close aides, referring to White House Communications Director Steven Cheung as "Luca Brasi." The nickname, detailed in a new book by New York Times reporters Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan, references the fictional enforcer from "The Godfather," one of Trump's favorite films. The book describes Cheung as "an astonishing sight roaming through the West Wing: physically enormous, with a low brow, a shaved head, great slablike hands, and an omnipresent sneer."
Trump has also been quoted in the book as calling Cheung "a more violent version of" North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un. In recent weeks, Cheung has been involved in several notable public incidents, including an outburst using profanity directed at a former top Trump official, a warning to those who doubt Trump's influence to "fuck around, find out," and the use of a derogatory term during an online exchange with a Democratic staffer.