U.S. President Donald Trump fired his communications director, Anthony Scaramucci, on Monday after little over a week in the job because of an obscene tirade, sources familiar with the decision said, in the latest staff upheaval to hit the Republican’s six-month-old presidency.
Mr. Scaramucci’s departure follows one of the rockiest weeks of Mr. Trump’s presidency in which a major Republican effort to overhaul the U.S. healthcare system failed in Congress and both his spokesman and previous chief of staff left their jobs.
Sources said Mr. Scaramucci had been damaged by comments he made to The New Yorker magazine last week in which he attacked then-White House chief of staff Reince Priebus and Mr. Trump’s chief strategist, Steve Bannon, in profanity-laden terms.
Mr. Trump removed Mr. Scaramucci on the same day he swore in a new White House chief of staff John Kelly, a retired Marine general who is expected to bring more discipline to running what has become a chaotic White House.
“There’s going to be new leadership and I’m not sure the new leadership thought he was up to the task of being a team player,” one of the sources told Reuters.
“Anthony Scaramucci will be leaving his role as White House Communications Director,” the White House said in a statement. “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.”
Mr. Scaramucci was named to the role only 10 days ago.