Former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci says he suffered from “Potomac fever” during his brief time in Donald Trump’s first administration and believes Scott Bessent and Howard Lutnick have it too.
Scaramucci, who spent just 11 days as communications director, told CNBC’s Executive Decisions that he arrived in Washington with a “level of naiveté.”
“I did not have mine [ego] in check, and I had something that I call Potomac fever,” Scaramucci said.
He described the term as the belief among successful Wall Street figures that they can enter Washington and fix the government.
“One of the great symptoms of Potomac fever is you don’t know you have it. Bessent has it. Lutnick has it,” Scaramucci said.
He added that being close to power, including motorcades and Secret Service protection, can become “an aphrodisiac” and “a seductive force if you’re not careful.”
Asked by CNBC about Scaramucci’s comments, the White House dismissed the criticism.
“Anthony Scaramucci’s 10 days of relevance ended almost a decade ago,” it said.
Scaramucci was removed from Trump’s White House in 2017 following a profanity-filled conversation with a New Yorker journalist.
He also reflected on his earlier career at Goldman Sachs, admitting he was once fired “due to incompetence” before later being rehired in a role better suited to his skills.
