Where Is Anthony Scaramucci Now?
Wall Street hedge-fund guru Anthony Scaramucci had one of the shortest political careers in history – ten days, according to major media outlets, or 11 days, if you ask him. Despite the quick tenure, the financier, who graduated from Harvard Law and made a name for himself working at Goldman Sachs before starting his own investment firm, SkyBridge Capital, managed to kick up quite the storm and make a lot of enemies along the way.
After first serving as an adviser on the president's transition team, it was speculated that Scaramucci might take on the role of director for the Office of Public Liaison, but that never happened. Instead, he was sworn in as the director of communication on July 21, 2017 and everything immediately went downhill.
In addition to publicly trash talking then-Chief of Staff Reince Priebus and then-Chief Strategist Steve Bannon in The New Yorker, Scaramucci also inspired the departures of Priebus and White House Spokesman Sean Spicer; got slapped with divorce papers by his wife, Deidre Ball; and missed the birth of his son. Just three days after "The Mooch's" headline-making interview was published, he was fired by the latest Chief of Staff, John Kelly.
Since his fiery stint in the White House, a lot has changed for Scaramucci ... and a lot has remained the same. Here's what he's up to now.
He's banned from the White House
As if it wasn't bad enough that the White House fired Scaramucci after a mere ten days on the job, the administration also secretly placed him on an "exclusion list" that forbids him from entering his former place of work without first asking for special permission.
A White House official confirmed that the former communications director has indeed made it onto a list featuring a slew of former staffers who all have one thing in common: They left their job "under adverse circumstances." In other words, they were either fired, asked to resign, or failed a background check.
What's more, Bloomberg discovered that Scaramucci actually experienced the ban first-hand when he tried to enter the White House in February 2018. The aide escorting him reportedly rceived an email from a secret service agent explaining that the financier was not welcome.
He's still blaming John Kelly
It's safe to say that Scaramucci and Chief of Staff John Kelly won't be settling their feud any time soon.
Scaramucci has called for Kelly to resign because he reportedly allowed former staff secretary Rob Porter to keep working, despite a background check that revealed domestic abuse allegations from two of his ex-wives.
Speaking with The Washington Times, Scaramucci said, "I talked a little bit of smack about two guys we're trying to get rid of and [Kelly] fires me in five seconds. These guys are smacking up their wives and he's trying to figure out a way to keep them inside the White House. So it's very dishonest for me."
The Mooch went on to predict that the former Marine general would likely inspire more staff departures because "morale is terrible. And the reason why the morale is terrible is because the rule by fear and intimidation does not work in a civilian environment," he told CNN. "People are afraid to talk to each other."
Scaramucci took his ire a step further when speaking with Bloomberg: "Does the president want to lose everyone because of General Jacka**?"
He's can't stop bashing his former colleagues
In February 2018, Scaramucci sat down for a series of three no-holds-barred interviews with Vanity Fair. In the sensational interviews, he recounted his time in the White House and bashed countless former colleagues along the way.
His first target was Reince Priebus, the then-Chief of Staff, who he boldly dubbed "Rancid Pen*s. He's just very jealous." According to Scaramucci, "Priebus had the society broken up into 'Always Trumpers' and 'Never Trumpers,' and he was trying to flood the White House staff, as the Chief of Staff, with 'Never Trumpers,' and trying to figure out ways to blockade, slow down, and keep out, particularly of the White House, the 'Trumper-Trumpers.'"
Another major target? Former chief strategist and once-executive chairman of Breitbart News Steve Bannon. "The Mooch" said, "Bannon turns on me, because Bannon is ultimately railing against the swamp, but he's actually a c**k of the swamp. He's the creature from the Black Lagoon, Bannon. He acts more swamp-like than any person that's ever become a Washingtonian. So for all of his railing on the swamp, he is literally the pig in George Orwell's Animal Farm that stands on his two legs the minute he gets power."
Talk about unfiltered!
He's calling President Trump a 'stable genius'
When President Trump revealed his plans to impose strict tariffs on steel and aluminum imports in March 2018, Anthony Scaramucci appeared on CNBC to offer his analysis on the matter. While speaking with Halftime Report, he even defended his former boss' plans.
"I would say market participants are overreacting right now because, by and large, [Trump] has proven over the last 13 months that he's a common-sense person on the economy," Scaramucci said. "A common-sense person on economic growth and American prosperity."
Scaramucci also addressed reports that Trump's proposed 25 percent tariff on steel and 10 percent tariff on aluminum would provoke a trade war between the United States and other steel-producing countries. "The Mooch" towed the White House line again. "Yesterday from the Oval, [Trump] basically said that there won't be a trade war. I think we've got to give him some credit. He's a very good negotiator. I think he's looking out for the interest of the American people, the American workers."
Speaking with CTV, Scaramucci continued to sing the president's praises. "He's not only sane and totally together, he's a stable genius. We both know that, right?" And Trump is also not a racist, according to Scaramucci. "I've seen him in action," he said. "He treats everybody the same. Now, you might not like the way he's treating you but he's not treating you based on your family of origin or your religious creed, he's just treating you plain and simple fairly."
He's taken on the role of mind reader
Despite no longer working for the White House and even being banned from it, Scaramucci continues to be outspoken about its current staffers and all of the policies coming out of the Oval Office. What's more, he has yet to pass up the opportunity to play mind reader and share what he thinks President Trump is thinking.
For example, when asked about America's future relationship with Canada amidst heated NAFTA negotiations, "The Mooch" tried to view the world through "The Donald's" eyes, telling CTV that "what the president is really trying to do is embolden our allies and put a very big hurt on our adversaries, and he clearly sees Canada, and your prime minister, as a great ally."
He then offered up an analysis of the president's character, despite having been in the White House for less than two weeks. "He has a negotiating position where he punches you in the face first, and then starts the negotiation, and he's probably done that for 45 years," Scaramucci said. "After he hits you once, take a step back and look at where you think things can go, where both sides win, and I bet you that the president will get you there."
He's searching for fame abroad
Building on his infamy, Scaramucci has even managed to make a name for himself abroad and has repeatedly set his sights on the United Kingdom. In October 2017, he flew across the pond to deliver a speech to students at Oxford University and make nice with reporters, including The Independent's Shehab Khan, who admitted he was "surprised by how much I actually liked him."
Fast forward to March 2018: "The Mooch" was off to England again to appear on the finale of Unspun with Matt Forde, a British political satire show, which Deadline compared to the Daily Show. Before the episode, Forde teased the show on Twitter: "Well here's an announcement. My guest on the final Unspun of this series will be former White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci (@ScaramucciPost). I don't think there'll be enough time."
He's become the 'darling of the Orthodox Jewish community'
In a surprising turn of events, just a few months after he was fired, Scaramucci found himself in Jerusalem as a personal guest of the CEO of the Orthodox Jewish Chamber of Commerce, who invited him on the trip to help launch the organization's chapter in Israel.
According to McClatchy, Scaramucci seems to have found an unexpected niche for himself in the Orthodox Jewish community and has been making countless appearances at events around the country and beyond. As of March 2018, he's been a guest of honor at the National Council of Young Israel gala dinner, a keynote speaker at the JBiz Expo, a guest at the meeting of the Republican Jewish Coalition in Las Vegas, and more.
"Anthony Scaramucci is not just a friend of Israel and the Jewish People but a Great Friend of Israel and the Jewish people," said Joseph Frager, vice president of public policy for the Orthodox Jewish Chamber of Commerce.
Others don't appear to see the appeal of "The Mooch." Rabbi Zev Reichman told McClatchy, "I think he's a colorful guy, but no idea why he's become suddenly honored at events, going to Israel. I'm wondering the same thing you are."
What makes this situation all the more surprising is the fact that after launching the Scaramucci Post, the financier made headlines again when its associated Twitter account posted a poll asking followers "How many Jews were killed in the Holocaust?" Yikes.
He's giving marriage advice on Dr. Phil
Anthony Scaramucci did the unexpected once more in March 2018 when he and his wife, Deidre Ball, went on Dr. Phil to talk about their marital struggles and how they've worked through them.
For his part, Scaramucci blamed the White House, saying, "I became overly ambitious at the great detriment to my marriage. I was neglectful. Fighting with my wife. My children felt neglected, so eventually my wife and I got to the verge of divorce and complete separation."
However, after filing for divorce in July 2017, when she was nine months pregnant, Ball had a change of heart. The pair reconciled that November. Opening up about the marital drama, she told Dr. Phil, "First of all, any relationship is a work in progress, right? And I love him and the whole time we were apart I was like, 'What the heck happened?' So, I, I just wanted my family back and I loved him and I wanted my kids to have their dad and we're working on it and it's how it should be."