Speech of the Month, October 2024 - Anthony Scaramucci

Spotify must have flipped from one podcast to another and the next thing I know, I’m tuned into a man with a New York accent and a British woman talking about American politics. ‘This is good,’ I thought, so I checked out what it was. It was The Rest is Politics: US and the man with the New York accent, to my horror, was Anthony Scaramucci. Yes, the Mooch. 

I felt dirty. The last time this man had entered my consciousness, he was Donald Trump’s Communications Director and a prize example of an aggressive, jumped-up, ego-centric arse-hole if ever one was needed. So how could it be that seconds earlier I’d been nodding away enthusiastically at this man’s insightfulness and wit? How?!

Well, since I last saw him on the steps of the White House, he’s severed links with Trump, had a lot of therapy, a moral damascene conversion and is now propelled by an evangelical desire to speak truth about US politics, even if that comes with a side dish of tantalising dirt – thank God. And he’s incredibly good at it. If you’ve yet to catch an episode, check out the one below. I defy you not to enjoy!

So here’s why I’ve been tuning into the Mooch since May, and more so in the lead up to the US general election:

He’s enthusiastic and well prepared

There’s no doubt that when he got the offer to be Katty Kay’s co-host on The Rest is Politics: US, he must have been thrilled. That said, whenever he can bring up the opportunity to let listeners know that he wasn’t first choice, he does. 

This enthusiasm is palpable on the pod. He never phones it in. It’s clear he’s thought about the discussion points he wants to raise and he always has interesting questions to put to Kay. His opening gambit always gets to the point and grabs attention. For instance…

“A woman knows the difference between charming and creepy. So we know a guy (Trump) who’s a lecher. A guy who can abuse women. A guy that says ridiculous things about women. We know a guy who’s calling for the execution of a former female governmental official. Is the media in the United States covering that part of the story enough? I’d like you to address that, Katty.”  

It’s fascinating how just a little bit of preparation can make such a big impact. 

He does a great line in metaphor

Aristotle said that being good at metaphor is the most important gift for any writer. And if speech is to writing what listening is to reading, then it’s a great gift for a verbal communicator too. And it’s one that Scaramucci displays quite instinctively, I think. 

One of my favourites was when he described Trump’s knowledge of policy to Kay. It went like this, “Well you know, when it came to policy, the guy was hardly a lake. He wasn’t even a pool. You know what he was, Katty, he was a contact lens.”

He gets inside subjects’ heads

He’s brilliant at stepping into the shoes of a person and speaking through their thought-process in the first person. So in talking about Nancy Pelosi’s dilemma to throw Biden under the bus or not, he’d say, “She’ll be thinking, I’ve known the family for years, we’re good friends. But Joe debates badly. Terribly. Still, Jill does throw an incredible Thanksgiving dinner party. Yet a candidate who's younger than Trump would be helpful. If the Bidens don’t send me a Christmas card, will I lose sleep? Maybe. But shouldn't I try to protect my country from a nut-job?” 

I find these vignettes hugely compelling. Come to think of it, fellow New Yorker, John McEnroe, gets inside people's heads too in his tennis commentary. Maybe it’s an NYC thing?  

He's charmed by his co-host

Part of the reason I like listening to the pod is because there’s great chemistry between Scaramucci and Kay. They’re from very different worlds yet their respect and fondness for one another is obvious and appealing. He’s quick to tease her yet he’s equally quick to refer and defer to her experience. He wants to hear her views. 

This is a good lesson to those of us who have to present with others. If you genuinely like your presentation partner and it shows, audiences feel they're in good company. They like it. Whereas, if we see a partnership where one is jostling to be the star, we sense the battle and, therefore, can't settle and focus on the content.