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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Matt Mathers

‘He wants to make money’: Trump not concerned about his legacy, says former aide and hedge fund boss Anthony Scaramucci

Photograph: Getty Images for Vanity Fair

Donald Trump is more concerned about making money than taking care of his presidential legacy, former campaign staffer Anthony Scaramucci has said.

Mr Scaramucci, ex-White House communications director, said the president would use his final days in office to think about how he can benefit financially from his enhanced profile.

Mr Scaramucci's comments are the latest in a string of attacks he has launched on the president since being fired from his post in 2017 having served just 10 days as White House spokesman.

A life-long Republican, the New York-based hedge fund boss came out in support of president-elect Joe Biden during the election campaign and repeatedly criticised his old boss.

Speaking to CNN on Wednesday, he said Mr Trump "does not care about his legacy".

He added: "So the president wants to transact. He wants to make money. He has told people privately, ‘Why do I care about my legacy? I’ll be dead.’"

Critics have suggested that Mr Trump never wanted to be president and instead planned to use his 2016 run for the Oval Office to boost the Trump brand.

Since assuming office in 2017, the president has generated more than 3,000 conflicts of interest, according to the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington watchdog, which monitors the influence of money in Capitol Hill.

He has repeatedly used Trump-owned property to host official business, instead of using government buildings.

And according to Mr Scaramucci, nicknamed 'The Mooch', the president is likely to continue as he started.

"So, he’s looking at the next two, three weeks; how am I going to make money off this? How is this going to be good for me, post-presidency?" Mr Scaramucci said.

He added: "Is there a chance I could still stay in the presidency? Ron Johnson and Rand Paul think there is a lot of unproven fraud.  

"So, he’s listening to those people, Chris. But trust me, this is all transactional from here until 20 January”.

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