Former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci doesn鈥檛 think U.S. President Donald Trump will win a second term because he is the midst of a 鈥渟evere mental decline鈥� and will instead retire.
In recent weeks, Scaramucci has openly sparred with Trump, labelling him a demagogue and a liar. Naturally Trump lashed back, calling Scaramucci 鈥渢otally incapable鈥� of handling the White House job that he held for 11 days.
In an interview with 麻豆传媒 on Friday, Scaramucci ratcheted up his criticisms, speculating that Trump doesn鈥檛 have the stamina to make it to the November 2020 vote.
鈥淚 predict that there鈥檚 such severe mental decline going on that the most likely outcome here, and I think the proudest outcome, would be to say OK, I did a great job and I鈥檓 going to retire at the end of the term,鈥� Scaramucci said in an interview from the Toronto Global Forum.
At the moment, Trump鈥檚 approval rating is at 41 per cent, according to FiveThirtyEight. That鈥檚 lower than the past five presidents at the same time in their presidencies.
But Scaramucci isn鈥檛 totally dismissing the possibility of another four years of Trump.
鈥�(His chances are) diminishing every day, thankfully, but there鈥檚 still a chance there because he鈥檚 the incumbent president, he has very ardent supporters, the economy is still strong. But I predict he won鈥檛 make it to that election,鈥� he said.
Scaramucci was hired by the White House in the summer of 2017 after a career as a New York-based financier. He was fired less than two weeks later after an expletive-filled rant was published in the New Yorker.
鈥淚 look back on it fondly, despite whatever my personal trials and tribulations are, whatever mistakes I made, I look back on it fondly,鈥� he said.
The position brought Scaramucci into Trump鈥檚 inner circle, if only briefly. From his perspective, Trump鈥檚 behaviour has spiralled out of control since then.
鈥淚 actually think it has gotten worse, and I think there鈥檚 objective standards to look at, whether it鈥檚 his personal mannerisms, his communication style, some of the things he鈥檚 now doing on Twitter, equating President Xi (Jingping) for example to (Federal Reserve Chair) Jerome Powell and saying who is the bigger enemy of the United States. I mean, this is stuff that is I think way outside of the even normalcy for Donald Trump,鈥� he said.
Despite his short-lived tenure in the White House, Scaramucci hasn鈥檛 left politics. He鈥檚 now pushing for what he calls 鈥渘ormal Republicans鈥� to step forward and challenge Trump for the 2020 nomination.
So far, only two Republicans 鈥� Rep. Joe Walsh of Illinois and former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld 鈥� have thrown their hats into the race. Others have hinted that they may be interested.
Challenging the president would be a daunting battle 鈥� and an expensive one. But if no one challenges the president, Scaramucci says, his path to victory in 2020 is clearer.
鈥淪o as a good-standing Republican I鈥檓 calling on Republican elected officials, we have to clean this up. We have to clean it up on behalf of our children, on behalf of our country, and let鈥檚 face it, on behalf of the world,鈥� he said.
鈥淚f he becomes the nominee, you know, you鈥檙e at risk that he gets re-elected. That鈥檒l be really bad for us.鈥�
Speaking on the sidelines of the Toronto event, Scaramucci also offered praise for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland, calling their negotiations of the USMCA deal 鈥渕asterful.鈥�
He also suggested that Trump is intimidated by Trudeau, who he called 鈥渟trikingly good-looking.鈥�
With files from The Canadian Press
