Anthony Scaramucci raised concerns about Donald Trump’s strange relationship with Vladimir Putin, hinting that the Russian president and the KGB might have some form of control over the former president. In a recent interview on “The Rest Is Politics: US” podcast, Scaramucci discussed Trump’s approach to Putin, calling it “weird” and difficult to explain.
When co-host Katty Kay asked Scaramucci why Trump has been blaming Ukraine for the war, he responded, “My silence is because what I really think is not in the mainstream.” He added, “And so what I really think, if I end up saying it on our podcast, people will say, OK, I’m being absurd. OK, so—but I think there’s a hold on him.”
Scaramucci, who briefly served as Trump’s White House communications director in 2017, didn’t elaborate on exactly what that “hold” might be, but he said, “I don’t know why it’s like this. [H.R.] McMaster couldn’t figure it out, [James] Mattis couldn’t figure it out, [John] Kelly couldn’t figure it out.”
In recent weeks, Trump has dramatically shifted his stance on the war in Ukraine. He has blamed Ukraine for starting the conflict, questioned the legitimacy of Ukrainian President Zelensky, and downplayed Russia’s intentions. Trump also called Zelensky a “dictator without elections” on Truth Social, despite martial law in Ukraine preventing elections due to the ongoing war.
Scaramucci observed, “It’s the 30th day in, he’s literally reciting Putin talking points at press conferences.”
When Kay asked if others in the Trump administration ever discussed his relationship with Russia, Scaramucci confirmed that they did. “Yes,” he said. “Somebody last night from the former administration texted me. It’s weird the relationship with Putin. It’s just weird.”
Scaramucci went on to explain that while Trump was the American president, it was hard to understand why he seemed so aligned with Putin. He explained that the KGB operates differently than people might expect, saying, “From the KGB, they do everything out in the open, OK? So that’s part of their technique, right?”
Scaramucci also referenced a recent article by Alexander Dugin, a Russian philosopher who is said to have a strong influence on Putin. Scaramucci claimed that Dugin’s writing suggested Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov was controlling Trump’s actions. “Alexander Dugin… basically said that Lavrov is running Trump—Lavrov will be briefing Trump on what to do here to establish this new world order,” Scaramucci said.
However, Dugin’s article only mentioned that Lavrov and other senior Russian officials were briefing the U.S. on their position regarding the war in Ukraine. Scaramucci seemed to interpret this as evidence that Lavrov had unusual influence over Trump. “It is worth noting the very serious, high level of our delegation [at talks between U.S. and Russian officials in Saudi Arabia],” Dugin wrote. “These are Yuri Ushakov and Sergey Lavrov, Putin’s closest associates in international politics and completely, totally in agreement with [Trump]. And therefore, it is they who will help our president prepare for this meeting.”
Scaramucci also second-guessed his own interpretation, asking Kay, “Am I being too aggressive by saying this?” He clarified, “You gotta tell me… cause I don’t want people to say, oh, you know, he’s, he’s got Trump derangement… I don’t have Trump derangement syndrome. I have Trump reality syndrome. I’m just telling you what we all saw, what we’re all worried about.”
