Why is Trump being ‘unkind’ this time? Former insider believes he knows why

Shortlived Donald Trump staffer turned Trump critic Anthony Scaramucci argues in a recent interview that he thinks the new president is more “cruel” this time around — and that he has a feeling about why that’s the case.

The lack of family within the inner circle this time.

Scaramucci:

Trump likes having his family around. Whatever you think of Donald Trump, he ran the Trump organization with family, he ran “The Apprentice” with family. First Trump administration, Jared, Ivanka, were in it, (and) lots of family members around.

This administration sans family and I think it has an impact on his mood.

There’s a cruely to a lot of things that he did on his first day returning to the presidency, and I think his personality is impacted by not having some of those people around.

And I got to know Melania on the first campaign. I like her. I think she is a softening agent for him when they have a good relationship, and obviously the kids, you know, I … don’t speak to them anymore, but I’m sure if I did speak to them it would be cordial, they were always good to me and I was good to them. They were softening agents for Donald Trump. They’re not around now and I think you can see there’s an expression of unkindness coming out of the president in the first couple days of the administration.

Scaramucci worked as Trump’s White House communications for 11 days after he came into the job hot by publically attacking former Trump chief of staff Reince Priebus as a “leaker” in graphic terms. “The fish stinks from the head down,” he said in 2017. “I can tell you two fish that don’t stink, and that’s me and the president.”

Then in an interview published by The New Yorker, an angry Scaramucci used an expletive to accuse Priebus of being a “f—— paranoid schizophrenic” and White House chief strategist Steve Bannon of trying to burnish his own reputation.

He also threatened to fire White House staffers who leaked about a dinner he had with the president.

Scaramucci was then ousted from his position and has fought to keep Trump from returning to the White House.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.