Donald Trump hailed “a great day at the White House” following the removal of communications director Anthony Scaramucci after just 10 days in a move that has only increased the sense of chaos at the heart of the Trump administration.
His evening tweet came as Scaramucci was forced out following a turbulent series of media appearances over the last week by the combative former Wall Street financier, capped by a foul-mouthed tirade to a New Yorker journalist on Thursday.
A great day at the White House!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 31, 2017
His shock political demise was precipitated by the appointment of former US marine Gen John Kelly as Donald Trump’s new chief of staff less than six hours earlier.
“Anthony Scaramucci will be leaving his role as White House communications director,” said press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders in a statement on Monday afternoon. “Mr Scaramucci felt it was best to give chief of staff John Kelly a clean slate and the ability to build his own team. We wish him all the best.”
The decision to remove Scaramucci, nicknamed “the Mooch”, came at Kelly’s request, the New York Times reported.
His removal may take some pressure off Steve Bannon, the longtime Trump aide whose position has been under threat in recent weeks. Scaramucci made Bannon a target in his rant to the New Yorker and, in response, was the subject of repeatedly negative articles on Breitbart, the publication Bannon once ran.
Scaramucci was hired on 21 July, months after the departure of Michael Dubke, who had struggled to craft a coherent communications strategy as the administration spun from one controversy to the next. Sean Spicer reportedly opposed the hiring of Scaramucci and resigned as White House press secretary the same day.