Skybridge Capital founder Anthony Scaramucci said Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick both suffer from what he calls "Potomac Fever," the same affliction he says led to his own 11-day run as White House communications director in 2017.

Washington Changes You

Scaramucci described "Potomac Fever" as the mindset of a smart Wall Streeter who believes they can descend on Washington and fix the city. He made the comments on an episode of CNBC’s "Executive Decisions" with host Steve Sedgwick, released Tuesday.

"You think you’re smarter than the people that live in Washington. But Washington changes you; you don’t change Washington, and that’s the truth about Washington," Scaramucci added.

He said the condition is dangerous because it is invisible to those who have it. "One of the great symptoms of Potomac Fever is you don’t know you have it," he said. "Bessent has it. Lutnick has it. You’re tying your ego to the significance… it is an aphrodisiac."

A Firing That Forced Reckoning

Scaramucci was appointed White House communications director in July 2017, only to be removed just 11 days later after John Kelly took over as chief of staff.

He said the fallout, along with missing his son’s birth and his wife filing for divorce during that tumultuous period, forced "a real moral and intellectual reckoning." "That explosion that happened to me, I think, helped me," he said.

Scaramucci, who also failed the New York bar exam twice earlier in his career, said the White House experience ultimately reshaped his relationship with his children, teaching them it’s okay to "fail at things."

Chasing the Coolest Job

He said his first job at Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (NYSE: GS), in real estate investment banking, stemmed from insecurity rather than aptitude. "I was so insecure coming out of Harvard that I wanted the coolest, hottest, highest-paying job," he said, recalling that real estate investment banking was considered the most prestigious path at Harvard at the time.

He was fired from that role "due to incompetence" before being rehired weeks later into Goldman’s private wealth division, a job he said suited him far better.

Anthony Scaramucci warned that the United States is nearing a dangerous institutional breaking point, accusing Donald Trump of authoritarian behavior and calling for a post-partisan political reset. The former White House communications director made the comments on Saturday via X, arguing that the country’s founders designed a decentralized system to prevent power concentration, which he claims is now under threat.

Scaramucci Warns Of Authoritarian Power

Scaramucci argued that authoritarian leadership creates a "funnel at the top," benefiting those involved in corruption who then defend the system. He stated that corruption is only perceived as bad by those not involved in it.

"He acts like a fascist," Scaramucci wrote regarding Trump, adding that Americans have pushed back and that Trump’s poll numbers have declined. Despite these criticisms, he noted that safeguards remain capable of preventing the worst outcomes, though he warned the system is fragile.

Call For Forward Leadership

Scaramucci advocated for "forward, formative, post-partisan leadership" focused on rebuilding institutions rather than advancing ideological divisions. He emphasized that neither left nor right is the solution, asserting that moving forward is the only direction that matters currently.

Democrats Intensify Corruption Criticism

Democratic lawmakers have escalated their scrutiny of potential wrongdoing within the administration. Senator Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) alleged that trading firms paid up to $100,000 a month for early access to Trump’s Truth Social posts, suggesting such conduct could lead to jail time for a private-company CEO.

Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) criticized the administration’s airline policies, pointing to $1 million donations from United Airlines and Delta Air Lines to Trump’s inauguration fund. She argued that the administration moved to roll back consumer protections, although a separate flight-cancellation compensation rule remained in effect.

In the House, Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Jason Crow (D-Colo.), and Mike Levin (D-Calif.) launched an "End Corruption Caucus." The group focuses on dark money, corporate PACs, lobbying restrictions, government accountability, and foreign election interference. Crow stated that corruption is poisoning politics, while Ocasio-Cortez blamed big-money influence for declining public trust in government.