Anthony Scaramucci has responded to Katie Zacharia’s firing as White House press secretary, after her tenure ended after just five days.
Scaramucci, who held a senior White House communications role during Donald Trump’s first term, was previously known for having one of the shortest spells in the administration. Zacharia’s departure has now surpassed his five-day record.
The comparison was raised by Joe Scarborough, who joked: “Mooch, we hardly knew ye” – a reference to Scaramucci’s 11-day run as White House press secretary in 2017.
Scaramucci replied: “Records are made to be broken. But I take no pleasure in other people’s pain.”
He also used the attention to promote his new book, All the Wrong Moves, before telling Zacharia that she would soon “realize that the Universe did [her] a major favor.”
Zacharia was ousted on Friday, moments after Trump said she did not need the headache of dealing with the media and could decide whether to stay.
Her brief time in the role included a debut press briefing on Tuesday that lasted 14 minutes. She was also questioned about her legal credentials before her White House tenure came to an end.
