Scaramucci once slammed Trump as ‘big mouth hack’
THE man who is meant to be the saviour of the unpopular US President once called Donald Trump an “anti-American hack”.
HE’S the slick New York businessman brought in to try to defend the Trump administration against a hostile media and turn around the President’s ailing poll numbers.
But a scathing rant from 2015 where Anthony Scaramucci slammed the US President as a “anti-American”, a “bully” and a “hack” has come back to haunt him.
Donald Trump appointed the Wall St entrepreneur as his new communications director on Friday, prompting press secretary Sean Spicer to quit in protest.
But the media was quick to remind Mr Scaramucci of his withering attack on Mr Trump on the Fox Business Network before he won the Republican presidential nomination.
Mr Scaramucci took issue with Mr Trump saying that hedge fund managers were “paying nothing” in tax.
“Another hack politician … it’s anti-American, it’s very, very divisive and I’ll tell you who he’s going to be president of, the Queens Country Bullies Association,” Mr Scaramucci said on the panel show.
“You gotta cut it out now and stop all this crazy rhetoric.”
Mr Scaramucci also criticised Mr Trump for infamous comments about journalist Megyn Kelly, which many interpreted as him referring to her menstruating.
“I don’t like the way he talks about women, I don’t like the way he talks about our friend Megyn Kelly and, you know what, the politicians don’t want to go at Trump because he’s got a big mouth and they’re afraid he’s gonna light ’em up on Fox News and all these other places but I’m not a politician — bring it,” Mr Scaramucci said.
“You’re an inherited money dude from Queens County. Bring it, Donald. Bring it.”
For good measure, Mr Scaramucci predicted Mr Trump would crash out of the race within months.
Mr Scaramucci made light of the comments when he was asked about them on Friday, saying the President often lorded them over him.
“[Mr Trump] brings it up every 15 seconds,” Mr Scaramucci joked during a marathon press conference in the White House.
“One of the biggest mistakes I made, because I was an unexperienced person in the world of politics — I was supporting another candidate. I should have never said that about him so, Mr President, if you’re listening, I personally apologise for the 50th time for saying that.”
The President also leapt to his defence on Twitter, saying Mr Scaramucci was an early supporter for him as president before he went on to endorse Scott Walker and Jeb Bush.
In all fairness to Anthony Scaramucci, he wanted to endorse me 1st, before the Republican Primaries started, but didn't think I was running!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 22, 2017
Mr Scaramucci has also had to backtrack on a number of statements he has made in the past, such as when he has expressed support for Hillary Clinton or advocated policy at odds with the Trump administration.
Mr Scaramucci scrubbed his Twitter account clean of incriminating tweets on the weekend.
A great night in W Va. we have great momentum. pic.twitter.com/2Cb4OBhsMf
— Anthony Scaramucci (@Scaramucci) July 25, 2017
A tweet from February 2012 called Mr Trump an “odd guy” who was “so smart with no judgment”.
In April 2012, he pledged his support for Hillary Clinton as president, tweeting “I hope she runs, she is incredibly competent”.
His views are also at odds with Mr Trump and much of the Republican party on gun laws.
“We (the USA) has 5% of the world’s population but 50% of the world’s guns,” he tweeted in 2012.
“Enough is enough. It is just common sense it apply more controls.”
Mr Scaramucci is also on the record criticising climate change deniers.
“You can take steps to combat climate change without crippling the economy. The fact many people still believe CC is a hoax is disheartening,” he said in a deleted tweet that directly contradicts statements made by Mr Trump.
He also deleted this pointed tweet from 2015 that knocked Mr Trump’s Mexico border wall policy: “Walls don’t work. Never have never will. The Berlin Wall 1961-1989 don’t fall for it.”
Mr Scaramucci, known as “The Mooch”, defended his earlier views at the weekend, saying his personal opinions “don’t matter at all”.
While they haven’t always seen eye-to-eye on policy, satirical program The Daily Show has picked up that Mr Scaramucci appears to be mimicking his new boss’s gestures, right down to blowing kisses at reporters.
The Mooch did his homework. pic.twitter.com/Wku0DF2ovd
— The Daily Show (@TheDailyShow) July 24, 2017
Mr Scaramucci didn’t appear to be offended by the comparison, retweeting the video on his account.
As a straight-shooting businessman, Mr Scaramucci is the polar opposite to the bumbling Washington persona of Mr Spicer.
Mr Trump’s hiring of Mr Scaramucci sent the White House into turmoil on Friday, with senior staff blindsided by the news.
The appointment is also a blow to the authority of chief of staff Reince Priebus and chief strategist Steve Bannon, who both opposed the move.
A great night in W Va. we have great momentum. pic.twitter.com/2Cb4OBhsMf
— Anthony Scaramucci (@Scaramucci) July 25, 2017
Mr Trump brought Mr Scaramucci on chiefly to use him as an attack dog on TV.
In the years since the 2015 rant, he has proven himself to be an impressive advocate for the President on cable news channels such as Fox News and CNN and Mr Trump values highly people who are loyal supporters of him and his agenda.
However, reports out of Washington are that Mr Trump did not fully understand that the role of communications director was traditionally an off-camera role more focused on broader media strategy.
Mr Spicer, who Mr Trump asked to stay on, was reportedly upset at having to report to Mr Scaramucci, who lacks the organisational and political experience a communications director traditionally possesses.
A White House source told CNN that Mr Trump did not understand the complexity of the role.
“Sometimes the President judges how his communications is going for the White House based simply on what he sees on the shows, what he sees on the multiple cable news networks,” CNN reporter Jim Acosta said.
“But what he doesn’t understand is … the job of communications director is somebody who crafts the message for the White House, who makes sure that the White House is getting the President out there to do a healthcare event, to push the repeal of Obamacare and so on ... the President is just not understanding that there is so many other things that go on with the job of communications director.”
But Mr Trump is clearly not interested in running a traditional White House.
Despite his perceived lack of experience, Mr Scaramucci has been viewed as a welcome fresh face on the White House media team who appears to be taking a more conciliatory tone with the press.
“I think there’s been, at times, a disconnect between how we see the President and how much we love the President and the way some of you [in the media] see the President,” he said.
“I certainly see the American people probably see the President the way I do, but we want to get that message out there.”
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