PALM BEACH, Fla. — President-elect Donald Trump announced Friday that he had chosen Steven Cheung, his chief campaign spokesperson, to be his White House communications director.

Cheung, who once worked in communications for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, served in Trump’s administration as the director of strategic response. He will return to the White House next year in a top communications position.

Trump has long favored vocal, forceful allies, and his decision to elevate Cheung is one of several recent announcements that reinforce that preference. During the campaign, Cheung often issued provocative, at times offensive, statements attacking Trump’s political enemies and the news media.

His most vicious barbs in written statements came during the Republican primaries.

Cheung, who frequently uses hypermasculine language favored by many on the ultra-online right, seemed to take particular delight in questioning DeSantis’ masculinity, calling him a “desperate eunuch” and once saying the governor walked like a girl who “discovered heels for the first time.”

Cheung’s statements at times have provoked strong criticism from Democrats. After Trump last year likened his political enemies to “vermin” that needed to be rooted out, drawing condemnation from some liberals and historians for echoing the dehumanizing rhetoric of fascist dictators, Cheung stood firm.

Although Cheung often traveled with Trump, he often ceded appearances on television news — which are viewed as crucial by Trump and his allies — to other members of the campaign’s communication team, including Karoline Leavitt, the campaign’s press secretary, and Jason Miller, a senior adviser.