Daily Beast
Anthony Scaramucci Hints at Putin and the KGB’s Mystery ‘Hold’ Over Trump
Isabel van Brugen – February 21, 2025
Anthony Scaramucci expressed concerns about his old boss Donald Trump and his “weird” relationship with Vladimir Putin on Friday.
Scaramucci, who briefly served as Trump’s White House communications director in 2017, discussed Trump’s approach to the Russian president during an episode of “The Rest Is Politics US” podcast with co-host Katty Kay.
Kay teased that the discussion would explore what leverage Russian Putin might have over Trump, and asked Scaramucci why he thinks Trump is now pinning the blame for the war on Ukraine.
“My silence is because what I really think is not in the mainstream,” Scaramucci replied. “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 did not elaborate on what he believes that “hold” might be, adding only: “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.”
The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House for comment.
A little over a month into his second term, Trump has done a 180 on Washington, D.C.’s stance on the three-year-old war in Ukraine. He has blamed Kyiv for starting the conflict, cast doubt on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s legitimacy, downplayed Russia’s war aims, and backtracked on U.S. support for Kyiv.
Tensions between Trump and Zelensky escalated further this week when Trump took to Truth Social, calling the Ukrainian leader a “dictator without elections.” He demanded wartime elections in Ukraine, despite the fact that martial law—imposed in response to Putin’s invasion—has prohibited them from taking place.
Scaramucci didn’t hold back—he called Trump’s relationship with Putin “weird” and blasted him for pushing Kremlin narratives.
“It’s the 30th day in, he’s literally reciting Putin talking points at press conferences,” said Scaramucci.
Kay asked Scaramucci if he and other officials would talk about Trump’s relationship with Russia during his first administration.