Description: White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci’s been sacked - ten days into the job
US President Donald Trump has sacked his communications director Anthony Scaramucci, just 10 days into his role, according to two people with knowledge of the decision.
Scaramucci's brief tenure in the role had been marked by turmoil as he feuded publicly with former White House chief of staff Reince Priebus. Scaramucci's arrival at the White House prompted former press secretary Sean Spicer to resign in protest.
The New York Times said Scaramucci's removal came at the request of Trump's new chief of staff John F Kelly.
"Mr Kelly made clear to members of the White House staff at a meeting Monday morning that he is in charge," the Times reported.
In a statement, the White House said: "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 Trump was said to have consulted allies outside the White House over the weekend before making the decision.
Mr Kelly was said to have decided to ask for the resignation of Mr Scaramucci several days ago because he did not represent the way he wanted the White House to function.
The abrupt decision signals that Kelly is moving quickly to assert control over the West Wing, which has been characterised by interpersonal disputes and power struggles during Trump's six months in office.
The retired Marine general, sworn in yesterday, was brought into the White House in the hope that he will bring military-style disciple to Trump's staff. He has been fully empowered by the president to make significant changes to the organisation, White House officials and outside advisers said.
"Kelly is already changing the culture here," one White House aide reportedly said.
President Donald Trump talks with White House chief of staff John Kelly. Photo / AP
Scaramucci was hired to the communications director role by Trump, over the objections of Priebus and other aides.
Within days of arriving in the West Wing, Scaramucci publicly accused Priebus of leaking damaging information about him in the media and disparaged him in a profanity-laced interview with the New Yorker.
"Who leaked that to you?" Scaramucci asked, according to New York reporter Ryan Lizza.
"I ask these guys not to leak anything and they can't help themselves. You're an American citizen, this is a major catastrophe for the American country. So I'm asking you as an American patriot to give me a sense of who leaked it."
Lizza says Scaramucci saw the leak about his dinner with the President as proof other White House staffers - particularly Chief of Staff Reince Priebus - were undermining him.
"Is it an assistant to the President?" he pressed. Lizza refused to reveal his source. "OK, I'm going to fire every one of them, and then you haven't protected anybody, so the entire place will be fired over the next two weeks," Scaramucci responded.
"They'll all be fired by me. I fired one guy the other day. I have three to four people I'll fire tomorrow. I'll get to the person who leaked that to you. Reince Priebus - if you want to leak something - he'll be asked to resign very shortly," he said.
Former White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus. Photo / AP
"Reince is a f***ing paranoid schizophrenic, a paranoiac."
Parodying Priebus's voice, he said: "Oh Bill Shine is coming in. Let me leak the f***ing thing and see if I can c**k-block these people the way I c**k-blocked Scaramucci for six months."
Scaramucci continued his rant: "What I want to do is f***ing kill all the leakers, and I want to get the president's agenda on track so we can succeed for the American people," Scaramucci continued. He said he had no interest in seeking media attention for himself, taking aim at another senior staffer, the president's political strategist Steve Bannon.
"I'm not Steve Bannon, I'm not trying to suck my own c**k. I'm not trying to build my own brand off the f***ing strength of the president. I'm here to serve the country."
Mr Trump was reported to have "loved" the outburst and is known to encourage competition among his close advisers. The president tweeted yesterday there was "No WH chaos", and pointed to new job and wage figures.
Highest Stock Market EVER, best economic numbers in years, unemployment lowest in 17 years, wages raising, border secure, S.C.: No WH chaos!
Trump officials were hopeful last night that Mr Scaramucci's removal and the presence of the authoritative Mr Kelly in the West Wing could end the sense of chaos within the communications department.
Priebus, who had long ago lost the confidence of the president, was replaced by Kelly days later.
During the swearing-in ceremony, Mr Trump confidently predicted the 67-year-old combat veteran - one of a group Mr Trump has dubbed "my generals" - will do a "spectacular job".
"I predict that General Kelly will go down as, in terms of the position of chief of staff, one of the great(est) ever," Mr Trump said.
"What he has done in terms of homeland security is record-shattering, if you look at the border, if you look at the tremendous results we've had."
People in the White House who supported Scaramucci's hiring had viewed his presence in the West Wing, in part, as a tool to hasten the departure of Priebus, according to White House officials.
His usefulness had declined significantly in their eyes once that goal was accomplished and in light of his rocky first week on the job.
- additional reporting by Daily Telegraph, The Washington Post, news.com.au
