Hedge fund millionaire Anthony Scaramucci might be among the Republicans who are begrudgingly supporting Donald Trump—despite previously having criticized the Republican frontrunner.
In a series of tweets Monday, the hedge funder criticized fellow Republican candidates John Kaisch and Ted Cruz for teaming up to prevent Trump from becoming the Republican presidential candidate, saying the move was not a constructive route for the party, or the country. He also added that “Trump will have most popular votes, most delegates, and is biggest wildcard capable of reaching voters across aisle.”
Trump will have most popular votes, most delegates and is biggest wildcard capable of reaching voters across aisle https://t.co/JgbIEWsSgR
— Anthony Scaramucci (@Scaramucci) April 25, 2016
For the future of the party, this movement needs to be allowed to run its course, win or lose in the general https://t.co/zjzDlthbtY
— Anthony Scaramucci (@Scaramucci) April 25, 2016
Scaramucci further analyzed that ganging up on Trump in primaries would divide the Republican party:
If you disenfranchise a huge, energized swath of the party with primary shenanigans, what does that do for turnout? https://t.co/ctvnS5KwFl
— Anthony Scaramucci (@Scaramucci) April 25, 2016
Scaramucci’s tweets are notable as the moderate Republican money manager and host of his own TV show Wall Street Week has never been a Trump fan. Besides running his own firm, Scaramucci is widely known for running a very successful hedge fund conference SALT that regularly draws top Wall Streeters and politicians. This year former Former Speaker of the House John Boehner, among others, is scheduled to speak at this year’s conference, which will be held in early May in Las Vegas.
If Scaramucci jumps on the Trump train it won’t be the first candidate he has backed this presidential race. Back in August, while he was still a top fundraiser to former presidential candidate Scott Walker, Scaramucci called Trump “a hack politician” and “un-American” in a Fox News segment. Just a month ago, Scaramucci told a lunch crowd at the Hunt and Fish Club, a restaurant he partially owns, “I really don’t want Trump to be president… Now he’s been completely mis-underestimated by the entire Republican Party.”
In the same luncheon, though, Scaramucci acknowledged he believed Trump might actually be president—a thought he completely denied just three months earlier. And now, the managing partner at Skybridge Capital might be among the Republicans who have decided that it’s either back Trump, or risk tearing the Republican party apart.
“Donald Trump may not have been my first choice, but if he is in fact the people’s choice, I think my establishment friends are making a very big mistake by not acknowledging that,” Scaramucci said in an interview with the New York Times Friday.
And Trump doesn’t have a strong following on Wall Street. The businessman has called for a tax on Wall Street, lambasted hedge funds, and called the CEO of JPMorgan, Jamie Dimon, “the worst banker in the United States” (though he does have the backing of Carl Icahn).
It’s not the first time Scaramucci has been linked with the Republican frontrunner. Back in September, while Scaramucci was still the Walker campaign’s national finance co-chairman, he met with Trump to talk about potentially joining Trump’s campaign. News reports generally indicate that the meeting was puzzling to say the least, after which neither part could agree on what had happened. Scaramucci said he had refused to back Trump and asked the businessman to stop attacking hedge funds. Trump painted a different picture, telling the Wall Street Journal: “He wants to endorse me. He said, ‘I want to drop Walker and endorse you.’ ”
Although after that, Scaramucci joined Jeb Bush’s campaign.
This story has been updated to accurately reflect Scaramucci’s net worth.
