The White House on Monday fired communications director Anthony Scaramucci—just 10 days after he was hired—capping a tumultuous week that saw Scaramucci repeatedly insult his colleagues in vulgar and sexually explicit terms. The departure came just days after Trump fired Scaramucci’s White House rival, former Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, and less than two weeks after former Press Secretary Sean Spicer resigned in protest of Scaramucci’s appointment. On Twitter, President Trump dismissed reports of turmoil within his administration, tweeting a boast about stock market and employment numbers and adding, “No WH chaos!” This is Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, speaking Monday.
Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders: “I think it’s pretty simple. I’ve said it before: If you want to see chaos, come to my house with three preschoolers. This doesn’t hold a candle to that.”
Scaramucci was reportedly fired by John Kelly, just after the retired Marine Corps general was sworn in as chief of staff Monday. At the White House, President Trump praised Kelly over his brief tenure as head of the Department of Homeland Security.
President Donald Trump: “This is our first Cabinet meeting with General Kelly. He will be chief of staff, as you know. We all know him. We respect him, admire what he’s done. And at Homeland, what he has done has been nothing short of miraculous. As you know, the border was a tremendous problem, and now close to 80 percent stoppage.”
As head of DHS, Kelly has presided over major Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids against undocumented immigrants. ICE has also been accused of specifically targeting undocumented activists for arrest and possible deportation.