New US communications chief Athony Scaramucci deletes old "anti-Trump" tweets
Few days after US President Donald Trump appointed financier Anthony Scaramucci as communications chief, he deleted past tweets expressing opinions contrary to the government. He wasn't secretive about it: "Full transparency: I'm deleting old tweets. Past views evolved & shouldn't be a distraction. I serve @POTUS agenda & that's all that matters," he posted. Topics of difference include immigration, climate change and gun control.
What exactly had he written?
In an earlier comment on Twitter, Scaramucci had defined himself as "for Gay Marriage, against the death penalty, and Pro Choice". As opposed to Trump's mere 45 and White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders' 2,424, Scaramucci follows 168,000 profiles. Two tweets which got removed called Hillary Clinton "incredibly competent" and said former House speaker Newt Gingrich had showed "no judgment" by backing Trump.
Scaramucci's appointment has been controversial
Scaramucci's appointment has been controversial. Former Press Secretary Sean Spicer resigned in protest, after which Sanders took over. However, his debut press briefing earned generally positive reviews for panache: he managed to dodge awkward questions about his anti-Trump history by laughing it off. The current Senior VP at the Export-Import Bank will officially begin his new position from August 15.
Scaramucci's approach mirrors similar trends in the past
This isn't the first time members in the Trump administration have kept their personal views aside in his service, including Spicer, Sanders and even chief of staff Reince Priebus. It seemed to be particularly hard for Spicer, who apparently never understood the president well.
