Former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci said Wednesday that President Donald Trump “is a liar” and that he “should probably dial down the lying.”
Appearing on “New Day” to promote his new book, “Trump: The Blue-Collar President,” Scaramucci was asked by CNN’s John Berman about the President’s pattern of spreading falsehoods and what he would call someone who spreads lies.
Scaramucci said such people are “like a rascal, like a scoundrel.”
“I asked you what do you call someone who likes to lie? You said a scoundrel,” Berman replied. “Another thing you could call someone who likes to lie is a liar. Is he a liar?”
“OK, well we both know that he’s telling lies. So if you want me to say he’s a liar, I’m happy to say he’s a liar,” Scaramucci said.
“Nobody should lie. I’m not a big believer in lying. But politicians happen to lie,” he said.
“You want to say that to the camera? To the President?” Berman asks.
“Nobody should lie,” Scaramucci said after turning to the look directly into a camera. “But, you know, you’re a politician now, so politicians lie when their lips are moving, and so all these people lie. But you should probably dial down the lying because you don’t need to. You’re doing a great job for the country. So dial that down, and you’ll be doing a lot better.”
The former White House official said that there’s “an entertainment aspect” to the President’s lying.
“When he goes to a rally like that, you know, there’s a level of embellishment there because he’s playing to the crowd,” he said. “He’s playing for the laughs. And you know, that’s been his persona, that’s been his style. And by the way, you can’t really argue with the success of it.”
Scaramucci left the White House in July 2017 after only 10 days on the job and an infamous, expletive-laden interview he gave to The New Yorker in which he ripped top White House officials by name.
Since then, Scaramucci has remained a visible media figure, often defending Trump but at times making public appeals about curtailing some of his behavior and changing policies.
