Politics

How Trump’s Goons Cash In on His Crazy: Scaramucci

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The former Trump aide claims a tight inner circle could be profiting off the president’s erratic moves.

Anthony Scaramucci has a blunt explanation for the chaos swirling around President Donald Trump: it’s not just dysfunction, it’s opportunity.

Trump’s former White House communications director argued on the latest episode of the The Daily Beast Podcast that the president’s erratic behavior is creating a lucrative opening for insiders who know how to play the system.

Elderly Donald Trump being taken advantage of by his inner circle.
Photo Illustration by Victoria Sunday/The Daily Beast/Getty Images

“People are like, OK, this is an empty vessel,” Scaramucci said.

“I can use this guy as a means to get what I want in Washington.”

That, he suggested, extends well beyond politics and into financial markets.

Scaramucci painted a picture of a president who publicly lurches from escalation to de-escalation on Iran, declaring victory one moment and stoking volatility the next.

But behind the scenes is a tight circle of confidants who may be getting a valuable preview.

“Someone’s shorting oil stocks 11 minutes before he makes an announcement,” Scaramucci said.

“Trump makes an announcement, and then they close the position.”

He pointed to Trump’s late-night phone habits—calling donors and allies—as a potential pipeline for market-moving information.

Anthony Scaramucci at "The ABC News Presidential Debate: Race for the White House" held at the National Constitution Center on September 10, 2024 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Anthony Scaramucci famously lasted only 10 days as White House communications director, and he quickly became a vehement Trump critic. Bryan Dozier/Variety via Getty Images

The broader takeaway: Chaos isn’t an accident of Trump’s presidency, it’s a built-in feature—and one that can be exploited.

“People are like, OK… I can implement my Project 2025. I can implement my wholesale changes to the American military… I can use this guy as a means, as a medium, to get what I want in Washington,” he said.

“So let’s keep him propped up.”

Scaramucci also dismissed the idea that Trump is executing any coherent geopolitical strategy in his standoff with Iran. Instead, he described a president operating on instinct and improvisation.

“He’s got no strategy,” he said.

“If you have no idea what you’re doing, your enemy also doesn’t know what you’re doing.”

The White House did not immediately return the Daily Beast’s request for comment.

Scaramucci said that unpredictability can occasionally work to Trump’s advantage, especially as Iran faces mounting financial strain. But it also comes with serious risks, particularly for American consumers.

With oil production disrupted and supply chains tightening, Scaramucci warned that energy prices could surge into politically dangerous territory.

“His base is not going to love $8-a-gallon gas,” he said.

The former Trump aide didn’t hold back on the broader implications either, accusing the president of eroding norms and governing without meaningful internal checks.

Unlike Trump’s first term, Scaramucci said, there’s no one left inside the administration willing—or able—to rein him in.

Donald Trump falls asleep during a press conference.
Donald Trump falls asleep during a press conference. The Daily Beast/Fox News

“There’s nobody controlling him… and this is a very different administration than Trump [term] one,” Scaramucci said.

That vacuum, he argued, is precisely what allows others to step in and shape policy, or profit from it.

And as Trump’s behavior grows more unpredictable with age, Scaramucci warned that dynamic is only set to intensify.

“He’s going to be like an open floodgate.”

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