Unreal. In the months since our Mooch meeting, administratively speaking, he was in, and out, and in, and out (sounds like something he colorfully said about Steve Bannon, we’ll leave it at that).
It perfectly illustrates the perils of the print press, of which we were aware and for which we attempted to adjust. We left the interview broad enough for wiggle room with Scaramucci’s eventual appointment to the Trump Administration, but we never foresaw events like this. Any more wiggle and we risk seizure.
It’s especially vexing after Scaramucci’s strong start; a White House press room appearance that even liberal detractors applauded. The wheels then immediately fell off.
Anyone who hasn’t read Ryan Lizza’s piece in The New Yorker should. We don’t exactly fit the periodical’s core demo, but Lizza’s account (which he said he taped) is hella-entertaining if it wasn’t so surreal.
How do you hire a communications director who doesn’t understand on-the-record vs. off-the-record? You don’t, which is now painfully obvious to a besieged administration that tapped a guy with no public relations or crisis control experience to ‘fix’ (no ethnic stereotype intended) a messaging problem.
The issue is that they think they can do anything, up to and including a reality-show star—and yes, uber-successful businessman—who thinks he can be president. It’s like the awkwardness and ugliness of Michael Jordan at bat, proving superior skills rarely translate, no matter the size of the ego.
Luckily the substance of our interview stands, as borne by subsequent events, which was an accurate depiction of the administration’s opinion of 401ks, the fiduciary rule and their perceived political enemies (Elizabeth Warren’s gotta be loving this).
But life comes at you fast and it’s only getting faster, a predicament we share with Scaramucci. All eyes are now on Gen. Kelly. Maybe we’ll get him for our next cover.
With more than 20 years serving financial markets, John Sullivan is the former editor-in-chief of Investment Advisor magazine and retirement editor of ThinkAdvisor.com. Sullivan is also the former editor of Boomer Market Advisor and Bank Advisor magazines, and has a background in the insurance and investment industries in addition to his journalism roots.
