Anthony Scaramucci is out as White House communications director after just 11 days on the job — and just hours after President Donald Trump’s new chief of staff, John Kelly, was sworn into office.
Hoping to turn the page on a tumultuous opening chapter to his presidency, Trump had insisted earlier on July 31 that there was “no chaos” in his White House as he swore in the retired Marine general as second chief of staff.
Not long after, Scaramucci, who shocked many with his profane outburst last week against then-chief of staff Reince Priebus, was gone.
In the words of the White House announcement, he was leaving because he “felt it was best to give Chief of Staff John Kelly a clean slate and the ability to build his own team.” The two-sentence release concluded, “We wish him all the best.”
Earlier, in an Oval Office ceremony, Trump predicted Kelly, who previously served as Homeland Security chief, would do a “spectacular job.” And the president chose to highlight the rising stock market and positive jobs outlook rather than talk about how things might need to change in his White House under Kelly.
Trump last week ousted Priebus as chief of staff and turned to Kelly, who he hopes will bring military discipline to an administration weighed down by a stalled legislative agenda, infighting among West Wing aides and a stack of investigations.
The re-shuffling continued on July 31 with word that Scaramucci, on the job from less than two weeks, will no longer serve in the White House’s top communications post.
