The Mooch: ‘My 11 days in the White House almost destroyed my marriage’

FORMER White House communications director, Anthony “The Mooch” Scaramucci, has opened up about his 11 days in the job.

DONALD Trump’s former Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci has opened up about his 11 days in the White House and how he was sensationally fired by the president, on US talk show Dr Phil.

“The Mooch” was in an out of the White House in record time but that was all it took for him to become a late night TV icon thanks to his abrasive nature, tailored suits, aviator sunglasses and slicked back hair.

But according to him, the whirlwind experience almost ruined his marriage and took one of the biggest tolls on his personal life to date.

Talking to Dr Phil in an episode that aired in the US on Tuesday local time, Scaramucci said his downfall came because he was “a frontstabber ... not a backstabber”, who was “very honest about what I thought was going on inside the White House”. He described his sacking as “full-blown humiliation” and revealed that while he didn’t suffer depression “there were a couple of days when (he) was really bummed about the situation”.

“Waking up on the twelfth day ... I’m on 45 newspapers internationally,” he said.

“I’m lit up on all the national news, the international news and the cable channels ... they’re relentless.”

Anthony Scaramucci on US talk show, Dr Phil.

Anthony Scaramucci’s wife Deidre also appeared on the daytime show to discuss their marriage.

Mr Scaramucci said he wasn’t deterred by critics who called him a failure for being “blown out of the White House”.

“I was a failure but ... I got into the White house,” he said.

Anthony Scaramucci, former White House communications director, during a press briefing at the White House in Washington, DC in July 2017. Picture: AFP / Jim Watson.

His battle wounds run deep but they’re now on the mend, according to him.

Mr Scaramucci said his “954,000 seconds” in the White House almost led to a divorce from his wife Deidre, who also appeared on the show. The pair revealed they had never discussed the possibility of Trump becoming president and how that would affect their relationship prior to the election results. It was a mistake that could have caused irreparable damage had they not been thrust into a position where they were able to save it in the nick of time.

“I became overly ambitious to the detriment of my marriage,” Mr Scaramucci said.

“I became misguided. I ended up doing things I totally regret.

“I was neglectful to my wife and children ... my priorities went upside down.”

Before he knew it, Mr Scaramucci was “rejected” from the White House as he became the recipient of Mr Trump’s most infamous line: ‘you’re fired’.

“As painful and humiliating as that was, it caused a major re-centering of my priorities,” Mr Scaramucci told Dr Phil.

“It was an awakening for me.

“I learned the hard way how important it was to put my marriage back together.”

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Former White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci and his wife open up about his short time in Washington and its impact on their marriage. #DrPhil
Full story: https://t.co/A093RyH3p8 pic.twitter.com/4caSnwkgi2

— Dr. Phil (@DrPhil) March 6, 2018

DONALD TRUMP’S TWEETS

Mr Trump was, perhaps unsurprisingly, no walk in the park to manage when it came to his tweeting habits. He was the ultimate challenge for any communications director to take on but one Mr Scaramucci said he understood.

“He really needed, in his opinion, to use the tweeting to hop over the mainstream media to communicate directly to the American people,” Mr Scaramucci said.

But there were times during his 11 days in the White House that Mr Scaramucci woke up in the morning and thought “oh God, what now?”

“I found with the president (that his) less than strategic tweets ... were usually when he was taking incoming criticism,” he said.

“I always felt about the president that if he felt well defended that he stopped that sort of tweeting and was a little bit more strategic with the tweeting.

“I think the president has good intentions but I do think he goes off the rails sometimes.”

[e-mail] | @Megan_Palin