It’s been a turbulent start for the new White House communications director, Anthony Scaramucci, who has already made a name for himself one week into the job.
Since Scaramucci, 52, formally became Trump’s new communications chief a week ago, he’s made an apology, deleted old tweets and said he will “fire everybody” in order to stop White House leaks.
The man known on Wall Street as “the Mooch” is tasked with crafting the president’s communications strategy amid escalating political crises and sinking popularity.
The same day he was hired, former press secretary Sean Spicer quit in response to the hiring, objecting to what he considered Scaramucci’s lack of qualifications as well as the direction of the press operation, according to people familiar with the situation.
WATCH: Scaramucci attacks White House colleagues in profanity-laced rant
What is his experience?
Scaramucci joins the White House directly from a job on Wall Street, where he made a name for himself as a hedge fund manager who enjoyed appearing on television – and rubbing elbows with celebrities like Trump – as he emerged as a prominent Republican donor.
He has his law degree from Harvard Law School and later started his own firm, SkyBridge Capital, which managed more than $11 billion when it went up for sale late last year.
Scaramucci has no formal experience in managing communications. Given his lack of experience in the political field, it’s unclear how he plans to manage the president’s communications strategy.
Previously called Trump ‘a hack’
Scaramucci has donated to every Democratic presidential nominee since 2000, according to the Washington Examiner. He helped raise money for president Barack Obama before souring on the Democratic president’s treatment of Wall Street. Once he became a Republican, however, he was slow to support Trump.
At the time he was a vocal Trump critic, calling him “another hack politician” who was “probably going to make Elizabeth Warren his vice-presidential nominee,” while hosting Wall Street Week on Fox Business in 2015.
WATCH: Scaramucci apologizes for calling Trump a ‘hack’
“You are an inherited-money dude from Queens County – bring it, Donald,” Scaramucci said at the time.
He ultimately joined Trump’s team once it became clear the New York businessman would become the nominee.
Last week he apologized for the statement.
“I should have never said that about him,” he told reporters, adding, “I love the president.”
Deleting tweets
With his past criticism geared towards Trump, Scaramucci began deleting posts on Twitter.
Many of his former views, on topics including gay marriage and gun control, would put him at odds with his new boss and members of the Republican Party.
When people took notice of the tweets, he explained.
“Full transparency,” he tweeted, “I’m deleting old tweets. Past views evolved & shouldn’t be a distraction. I serve @POTUS agenda & that’s all that matters.”
Trump then weighed in with his own tweet.
“In all fairness to Anthony Scaramucci,” Trump said, “he wanted to endorse me 1st, before the Republican Primaries started, but didn’t think I was running!”
Will ‘fire everybody’ for leaking
On Wednesday, Scaramucci tweeted a post that tagged Chief of Staff Reince Priebus. The tweet said he would contact the FBI and the justice department over the alleged leak of his financial disclosure info. He later deleted the tweet.
Scaramucci’s info was the subject of a Politico story on Wednesday. The information wasn’t leaked, but obtained through a public records request.
He also told CNN on Thursday that “I can tell you two fish that don’t stink, and that’s me and the president.I don’t like the activity going on in the White House. I don’t like what they’re doing to my friend.”
He challenged Priebus to come forward and say publicly that he’s not a leaker, before referencing Cain and Abel – the biblical story in which one brother murders the other.
WATCH: Scaramucci accuses Trump’s chief of staff of being a ‘leaker’
“You’re either going to stop leaking or you’re going to get fired,” Scaramucci said.
In the CNN interview, Scaramucci called some leaks “so treasonous that 150 years ago, people would have actually been hung for those types of leaks.”
Profanity-laced interview
In an interview with the New Yorker on Thursday, Scaramucci accused Priebus of being a “f****** paranoid schizophrenic, a paranoiac,” and also charged White House chief strategist Steve Bannon with using President Donald Trump to bolster his own brand.
Following the interview, the New Yorker published the story on its website. Scaramucci tweeted about the incident later in the day, saying that he sometimes used “colourful language.”
Scaramucci tweeted the following on Thursday night.
— With files from the Associated Press and Global News’ Andrew Russell
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