In July 2017, Anthony Scaramucci, former director of public liaison for President Donald Trump, recounts his brief and tumultuous tenure as communications director. Despite initial reluctance due to a lack of experience, Scaramucci accepted the position after Trump offered it over the phone. His appointment triggered immediate opposition from White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus and chief strategist Steve Bannon, who lobbied against him aggressively.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-12,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
In July 2017, Anthony Scaramucci, a moderate Republican, received an unexpected call from the White House operator connecting him directly to President Donald Trump. Trump offered him lunch and subsequently appointed Scaramucci as director of the Office of Public Liaison in August 2017. However, his position was opposed by Reince Priebus, chief of staff, and Steve Bannon, chief strategist, who were part of conflicting factions within the administration: Priebus aligned with the Republican National Committee (RNC), while Bannon represented MAGA far-right interests. Scaramucci's role in the White House lasted only 11 days before he was dismissed due to internal political conflicts among these factions.
Written for “Scaramucci White House Exit” on 2026-09-12,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
My phone rings.
asserted
phone → ring → ?
I do.
asserted
I → do → ?
President Trump: “What are you doing tomorrow for lunch?”
Me: “Having lunch with you.”
asserted
you → do → you
Working for Trump wasn’t just a huge mistake.
asserted
Working → work → Trump
It gave me the opportunity to make a lot of other huge mistakes.
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It → give → mistakes
I got famous for them, and in the fallout, my whole life looked like it would fall apart.
asserted
it → get → fallout
The previous January, Trump had offered me a job: director of the Office of Public Liaison, the White House unit that interacts with interest groups.
asserted
that → offer → groups
Reince Priebus, Trump’s chief of staff, blocked that appointment.
asserted
Priebus → block → appointment
Steve Bannon, the chief strategist, was also against my working in the White House.
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my → work → House
The Kushner group made up one silo in the administration.
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group → make → administration
Priebus made another silo: the Republican National Committee.
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Priebus → make → silo
All silos were mutually hostile: Priebus and Bannon were leaking on each other constantly.
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Priebus → leak → other
But they allied in not wanting me anywhere near Trump.
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they → ally → Trump
I called Trump to tell him my job had been blocked and I didn’t want to fight with Priebus.
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I → call → Priebus
I also told him he was going to have problems with Bannon and Priebus, and when he did, he could call me and I’d help him fix it.
uncertain
him → tell → it
I said it cavalierly, egocentrically.
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I → say → it
“Call me if you ever need help with those bad guys.”
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you → call → guys
I didn’t know if he’d ever call.
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he → know → ?
But in July the phone rings, and the White House operator is asking me to hold for the president.
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operator → ring → president
On the phone, Trump tells me to avoid the press outside the White House by going to the East Wing entrance.
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Trump → tell → entrance
He’ll have an escort waiting to take me to the study off the Oval Office.
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escort → have → Office
When I get to the study, we sit down and he says, “Yeah, you were right about Priebus and Bannon; I need to get rid of them.
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I → get → them
You’re a New Yorker.
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You → ’re → ?
You and I always got along.
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You → get → ?
I want to bring you in.”
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I → want → you
He calls the White House operations guy.
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He → call → guy
The guy reminds him he’d never replaced Mike Dubke, who had resigned as communications director.
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who → remind → director
Trump hangs up and says, “You’re going to be comms director.”
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You → hang → ?
I have no experience.
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I → have → experience
How the hell am I going to do that job?
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I → go → job
Trump’s attitude was more like: it’s just like the campaign – we’ll figure it out together.
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we → ’ → it
So I left the White House that day in July, scheduled to return the next morning for a meeting in the Oval Office to announce my new position.
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I → leave → position
I checked into Trump’s DC hotel.
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I → check → hotel
Meanwhile, Priebus and Bannon started freaking out.
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Priebus → start → ?
The operations guy must have called them and tipped them off, and they were desperate to make sure I didn’t get the job.
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I → call → job
The next morning, I was having a cup of coffee at the hotel when my phone rang: Priebus and Bannon.
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phone → have → hotel
They offered me ambassadorships – Paris, or I could pick one – but told me I couldn’t come to the White House.
uncertain
I → offer → House
To capture the tone of White House interactions in general, and my style in that particular moment, I have to put it this way: I basically told them to go fuck themselves.
asserted
I → capture → themselves
They asked me to meet with them before the Oval Office announcement.
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They → ask → announcement
So I met with them in the chief of staff’s office and called them dicks who were leaking on each other and hurting the president.
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who → meet → president
…and 166 more, not listed.
