Anthony Scaramucci Has A Cheeky Comment About Liz Truss' Resignation

Maybe he was trying to show the world that the passing of time has done little to diminish his cheeky sense of humor. Or maybe he was trying to buck up Liz Truss, who resigned Thursday after a tumultuous 44 days as prime minister of the United Kingdom. Or, most likely, maybe his built-in PR radar alerted his central nervous system that he had better not pass up a gloriously symmetrical opportunity to step back into the media limelight he so obviously relishes in.

But by any measure, he created an unexpected sideshow. And it clearly fed into what some media outlets are calling "the American reaction," which includes a deluge of comical Truss memes on social media and an explosion of sardonic Twitter commentary. It all stands in stark contrast to President Joe Biden's terse, three-sentence reaction statement, via The White House. 

Like him or loathe him, you have to give him (even begrudging) credit: he knows how to make his small but distinctive voice heard above cacophony. Yes indeed; Anthony "the Mooch" Scaramucci is back.

Anthony Scaramucci (dubbed "the Mooch" by the media) always did know how to grab headlines. The financier was a top fundraiser for Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign, via The Washington Post. He lobbied Trump long and hard for a White House role — even going so far as to publicly announce in January 2017 that he hoped to soon begin his "new chapter," The Wrap reported.

Despite Trump's well-chronicled disdain for short men, many people assumed that Trump had nevertheless found a kin spirit in the diminutive (5 feet, 8 inches tall) but equally loud and brash Scaramucci. But Trump put him on ice for much of 2017. For Scaramucci, the eventual thaw may have been worth waiting for: he was handed the White House director of communications job on July 21, 2017, per The Wrap. 

Known for his colorful, animated, and highly quotable press briefings, Scaramucci didn't take long to cross the line in a famously bawdy phone conversation with a New Yorker reporter. The Mooch began by threatening to fire his entire staff, and his threats and language intensified from there. He called then White House Chief of Staff Lance Priebus a "f-—– paranoid schizophrenic," the reporter wrote. Scaramucci spewed even more vehemently about Trump strategist Steve Bannon, saying: "I'm not Steve Bannon, I'm not trying to suck my own c—. I'm not trying to build my own brand off the f—— strength of the President. I'm here to serve the country."

His service didn't last much longer. Anthony Scaramucci was ousted days later, on July 31. The length of his tenure: 10 chaotic days. In this way, Scaramucci may have felt a tug of relational spirit with Liz Truss, who spent much of her 6-week term sparring with allies and enemies alike over an economic plan that NBC News says "sent the pound plunging and her government into chaos." Truss will go down in history as the U.K.'s shortest-serving prime minister — and perhaps the only one whose head was depicted as a head of a lettuce. The taunting began after The Economist and the British tabloids began comparing her tenure to iceberg lettuce, per The Washington Post. Which would last longer? 

As Brits fluctuated between keeping up with the events at 10 Downing Street and on social media, The Mooch saw an opening — and seized it after Truss's Thursday announcement. "But she outlasted the milk in the refrigerator. I wasn't able to do that! Kudos," @Scaramucci cheekily wrote on Twitter, via The Week. He went on to make a comparison: "1 Scaramucci = carton of milk; 1 Truss = head of lettuce."

So who will history judge as the one who better handled a national controversy at the center of power? If Truss and Scaramucci ever meet for a dinner salad to discuss their respective fates, let's hope that The Mooch remains true to form and spills the beans.