President Donald Trump's recent staff shakeups are "strategic changes in personnel," according to former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci.
"If the president is making more changes, and he's making more strategic changes in personnel, maybe that will smooth things out on a going-forward basis," Scaramucci said on CNN's "New Day."
"Who says it's strategic?" host Chris Cuomo replied. "It's been such a bloodletting of people. We've never seen this kind of turnover. He said he would bring in the best people. That's one basis of criticism. But this doesn't seem to be about strategic choices. It just seems to be like, 'You're out,' and we don't know what his vision is."
"I sold two businesses, or almost sold my last business. What happens in the first two years is you have heavy turnover," said Scaramucci. "He is an entrepreneur. The American people elected not a politician, [but a businessman]."
The two then engaged in a rapid-fire back and forth over Scaramucci's defense of the turnover rate and his argument comparing the White House to a "start-up."
"Who runs a business like this?" Cuomo asked.
"I have," Scaramucci answered.
"You've turned over 45 percent of your employees in a year?" Cuomo asked. "That's called a bankruptcy."
"This is a start-up," Scaramucci responded. "He is trying to put personnel on the field that like him."
"The White House is a start-up organization? The highest echelon of executive activity in our democracy?" Cuomo said.
"You hired an American business leader who is an entrepreneur to run the White House," Scaramucci said.
"Find me a business of new merit that had this kind of turnover," Cuomo fired back.
The two then went on a tangent arguing about business strategy, with Scaramucci continuing to defend the turnover rate in the White House.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.