Donald Trump could “topple” a weakened Russia and Vladimir Putin but has “chosen not to” for a disturbing reason, a former staffer has sensationally claimed. Anthony Scaramucci raised millions of dollars for the US president’s first election campaign in 2016 before becoming his White House director of communications.
He was fired after just 11 days when he slammed colleagues in a conversation he wrongly thought was off the record – and has since turned his fire on Mr Trump to become one of his biggest critics. While he says there is “good Trump and bad Trump” and that he admires some aspects of the Republican’s character, Mr Scaramucci believes his ex-boss’s relationship with Putin is a cause for concern. Mr Trump has come under fire for his approach to his Russian counterpart, reopening dialogue with Moscow despite the Ukraine war.
He has been criticised for repeating Kremlin talking points, such as claiming that Kyiv “should never have started” the conflict.
It has led many to speculate whether Mr Trump has a hidden relationship with Putin or may be compromised behind the scenes.
In an interview with the Express, Mr Scaramucci said there “could be trouble ahead looming” for the US president and questioned why the commander-in-chief has not heaped pressure on Putin.
“I think Putin has a reluctant influence over him,” said the 61-year-old, who now presents the Rest is Politics US podcast with British-Swiss journalist Katty Kay.
“I think Trump is p***** at Putin, but he won’t act against him, because I think Putin does have something on him.
“What does he have? I do not know. I think all of us are puzzled by that.
“You’ve seen the Russian military really be weakened by the Ukrainian army. It’s a very weak situation for Russia. He could topple them, but he’s chosen not to do that.
“When the window’s open and you hear clippity-clop, it’s a horse – it’s not a zebra. We shouldn’t overthink things. There’s something going on in that relationship that Trump is worried about.”
Despite his comments, Mr Scaramucci said one of the better sides of Mr Trump’s character is that “he’s able to flex on people and get them to do what he wants, potentially to even help the situation in Ukraine”.
The Gaza peace deal showed what Mr Trump can achieve with this approach, he said.
Yet the American president has appeared to repeatedly change his stance on Ukraine. He hosted Putin for a summit in Alaska earlier in the year, but months later suggested he could help Kyiv win the war.
Mr Trump and Putin were set to meet in Budapest to discuss a peace deal, but the head-to-head was cancelled after a phone call between negotiators reportedly “turned sour”.