The Daily Beast Podcast: “I Know Why Trump Isn't The Man I Knew: Scaramucci”

Episode Date: October 7, 2025
Host: Joanna Coles
Guest: Anthony Scaramucci (Former White House Communications Director, Founder of SkyBridge Capital)

Episode Overview

In this episode, Joanna Coles welcomes Anthony Scaramucci, the flamboyant and outspoken former White House Communications Director, to examine how Donald Trump has changed since his rise to power and what comes next for the Republican party. Scaramucci draws from his insider experience in both Trump’s campaign and administration, offering a highly candid view of Trump’s leadership style, the dynamics inside the GOP, and possible successors. The conversation is wide-ranging, sprinkled with sharp humor, optimism, and occasionally explosive honesty—making this a highly engaging listen for anyone navigating the turbulent American political landscape.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Scaramucci’s Background and Recent Activities

• [03:42] Scaramucci shares a personal note about his daughter being an opera singer and her recent performance with Andrea Bocelli in Italy, emphasizing his pride as a parent and aspirations for her career.

  • “The goal is to get her into a voice situation in a Disney animation. So let’s see if that ever happens in her life.” – Scaramucci [04:15]

• Transitions to politics, clarifying his involved role in Trump’s campaign and as part of the transition team—not just the “famous 11 days” in the White House.

Has Trump Changed? The “Addiction” of Power

• [05:29] Scaramucci sees both continuity and change in Trump, noting similarities to his past persona but highlighting how power has intensified Trump's worst traits:

  • “He’s got the power drug. He smoked the guangi, the crack crystal of power... he can bully people that are powerful and they kowtow to him...He’s the wicked witch of the West Wing. When he eventually gets hit with the water...then the question is going to be, okay, who’s going to replace him?” – Scaramucci [05:45-07:49]
  • Trump is “flexing on everybody successfully,” and marvels at his own dominance.

• Discusses the detrimental effects of Trump’s policies such as tariffs and economic uncertainty, suggesting his supporters are being harmed—yet stick with him out of partisan loyalty.

Succession and the Looming GOP Power Struggle

• Predicts a GOP leadership vacuum post-Trump and a fierce fight for succession:

  • “When he goes down, then the question is going to be, okay, who’s going to replace him? And I predict that there will be a fight.” – Scaramucci [07:58]

• Scaramucci expresses a desire to be involved in breaking the populist hold on the party and returning it to pragmatic, relevant politics.

Personal Toll of the Trump White House

• [09:10] Recounts missing the birth of his son due to White House responsibilities and a well-publicized personal crisis:

  • “When I got fired from the White House, my wife had already filed for divorce, I missed the birth of my son, and I got literally burned in effigy in the American and global media.” – Scaramucci [09:26]

• Emphasizes the personal sacrifices, the media’s flattening of public figures, and his own “truth-telling” impulse.

America’s Strategic Crisis & the Rise of Populism

• Scaramucci reflects on post-9/11 US overreactions, war spending, and how adversaries like bin Laden predicted America would fracture itself—a process he argues “is happening” now due to polarization and the misuse of social media.

  • “Osama bin Laden is winning the baseball game. It's six nothing, bottom of the seventh inning, we're the home team and we're down six nothing.” – Scaramucci [11:24]

• Presses for a return to long-term thinking, pointing to social media platform regulation, systemic reforms (ending Citizens United), and generational change within leadership.

Critique of Political Entrenchment & The Two-party System

• [16:59] Explains how tight party duopoly, gerrymandering, and money in politics have created deep cynicism and dysfunction:
  • “Congress has a 14% approval rating, slightly above Kim Il Jong... but yet 95% of the incumbents get reelected.” – Scaramucci [17:30]
  • Calls for younger, more forward-thinking leaders.

Who Might Succeed Trump?

• Reviews a series of names in the possible Republican succession drama with unvarnished (often biting) assessments:

  • Pete Hegseth: “He’s a mental midget... too insecure of a guy.” [21:56]
  • Marco Rubio: “No shot. Because Marco Rubio is a weather vane... people look at him with great levels of disingenuousness.” [22:01]
  • J.D. Vance: “He will implode. He will go into the Trump wood chipper. You ever seen Fargo... that’s what’s gonna happen to him.” [22:48]
  • Predicts Trump’s successors will be eviscerated unless their last name is “Trump.”

• On the possibility of Trump’s children inheriting the movement:

  • “He would want one of his children to be successor.” [31:20]
  • Suggests a Don Jr.–Vance ticket could emerge as a way to retain Trump’s influence. [33:40]

• On outsider options, such as Erica Kirk, acknowledging shifting dynamics but expressing skepticism about anyone outside the Trump family prevailing.

How to Resist and Push Back Against Trump

• [36:13, 38:26] Advises that standing up to Trump requires strength and collective action; the “fawning” by industry and political elites is what allows his continued dominance. True resistance means asserting independence and refusing to be cowed.

  • “He only has power over you if you think he has power over you.” – Scaramucci [38:42]
  • References Robert Harris’s “Munich” and the need for political leaders and business leaders to “muscle up” and confront Trump directly.
  • Behind-the-scenes, many CEO and lobbyists are working to undercut Trump’s policies, even as they publicly accommodate him.

Is It Too Late to Fix the System?

• Scaramucci affirms his optimism:
  • “It’s not too late because this is a country that is incredibly neurally plastic... this country adapted... Most people in this country came here for a reason... and we can make the place better.” [46:18–48:54]
  • Believes that Trump’s chaos will at least galvanize a previously indifferent public to get involved before it’s too late.

The Importance of Honest Dialogue & Public Engagement

• Recaps positive listener feedback, emphasizing the necessity of truth-telling, earnest debate, and restoring trust in leadership;

  • “We have to dig in here and work on the restoration and the renewal of what America means to the rest of the world.” – Scaramucci [51:29]

• Notes America’s damaged reputation abroad but insists the nation can rebuild trust and leadership through honest self-assessment and reform.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• “He’s the wicked witch of the West Wing. When he eventually gets hit with the water... you’re left with the witch's hat…that’ll be the MAGA hat. And then the guards around the witch said, ‘Oh geez, I’m sorry, Dorothy.’” – Scaramucci, [06:53]
• “The people that voted for him…he is hurting people through the tariffs. He’s hurting people with the price increases. He’s hurting people with the slowdown in the economy.” – Scaramucci, [07:49]
• “I'm running for reelection of my marriage, Joanna…remember I almost got divorced when I was working for Trump and I missed the birth of my son.” – Scaramucci, [09:10]
• “The best thing Donald Trump has going for him the last decade, Joanna? The Democrats. That’s the best thing he’s got going for him.” – Scaramucci, [20:37]
• “You don’t get to be billionaires on principle, Joanna…they're not going to stand up because...they don’t want their companies broken up by the FTC.” – Scaramucci, [44:55–46:07]
• “The weird thing about Trump, he’s caused so much damage that he's finally got people that were generally disinterested and indifferent to politics [to say]—‘Whoa, okay, I gotta get involved somehow before this thing runs a monster amok.’” – Scaramucci, [48:54]

Important Timestamps

| Timestamp | Topic / Quote | |-----------|-------------------------------------------------| | 03:42 | Scaramucci on his daughter's opera career | | 05:29 | Is Trump the same man as before? | | 07:49 | Effects of Trump’s policies on voters | | 09:10 | Personal costs of Trump administration | | 11:24 | “Osama bin Laden is winning the baseball game…” | | 17:30 | Entrenchment of the two-party system | | 21:27–24:27 | Analysis of possible GOP successors | | 31:20 | Trump would want one of his children to succeed | | 33:40 | Possible Don Jr.–Vance ticket | | 36:13–38:26 | How to stand up to Trump | | 38:42 | “He only has power over you, if you think he does”| | 46:18–48:54 | It's not too late for America | | 51:29 | America’s damaged global reputation |

Conclusion & Tone

The conversation is direct, irreverent, and full of gallows humor, yet ultimately optimistic about the potential for American renewal. Scaramucci’s frankness and Coles’s incisive questions deliver a refreshing, unvarnished look at the state of American politics and Trump’s enduring influence. Above all, the message is clear: collective action, honesty, and long-term thinking are crucial for restoring trust and functionality in American leadership—before it’s too late.