Anthony Scaramucci, who briefly served as President Donald Trump's White House communications chief, accused his former boss of "bullying," "gaslighting" and "nonsensical inanity" and predicted he'll lose the election.
With U.S. income inequality at a 50-year high and the gap widening, the managing partner of the Skybridge hedge fund told CNBC on Thursday that Trump "hasn't done enough."
In his address at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Tuesday, Trump promoted his "America First" economic agenda and boasted about the health of the U.S. economy, which he claimed was down to a "whole new approach centered entirely on the well-being of the American worker."
Stock markets have repeatedly hit record highs over the past year, and the president has been keen to credit the sweeping corporate tax cuts his administration introduced in 2017.
"If you look at where the stock market is, economic growth, a lot of the data, if he was just halfway normal, and didn't do the tweeting, and all the bullying, and all the nonsensical inanity, he would have a much higher approval rating [than about 42%], it would've been easier for him to win reelection," Scaramucci told CNBC's Karen Tso in Davos.
"But he's missile-locked at a certain position, and he's now a known entity. Before he ran, there was a lot of speculation of what he could be. Now we know what he is. And so I firmly think he's going to lose, because 85% of the delegates here in Davos think he's going to win."
Scaramucci noted that prior to Trump's election victory in 2016, Davos delegates were certain he would fail to gain the Republican nomination and that Hillary Clinton would be president.
Checks and balances
With Trump's impeachment trial underway, Scaramucci said he believes around 5% of GOP voters think Trump is endangering the "checks and balances" and "sacredness" of the Constitution. Scaramucci also accused Republicans in Congress of lacking "the will or the courage to speak up to protect that document."
The Senate, where Republicans hold a 53-47 lead, is seen as unlikely to get the 67 votes needed to convict and remove Trump from office.
A spokesperson for the White House wasn't immediately available for comment when contacted by CNBC.
Regarding Democratic challengers, Scaramucci said he expects a moderate candidate such as Joe Biden, Amy Klobuchar, Pete Buttigieg or Mike Bloomberg would likely win the presidency. However, he suggested that Trump would "destroy" Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren.
In terms of stock market reaction, Scaramucci predicted a slight rise in the event of a Bloomberg presidency, a "not overly negative" impact for Biden, and a 25% market correction should Warren or Sanders win in November.
'Gaslighting' and 'hyper-normalizing'
In his Davos address, Trump claimed that his administration's policies on taxes, trade, regulation, energy and immigration were focused on "improving the lives of everyday Americans."
However Scaramucci, who managed just 10 days as the White House director of communications, accused the president of "gaslighting" and complained that the global conversation is "hyper-normalizing something that's actually not normal."
A White House spokesman told CNBC on Thursday that Trump's policies were building a "safer, stronger and more secure America that will last for generations," bringing "fair and reciprocal trade deals" that were "helping America win again."
