Katie Zacharia, a top White House spokesperson, has set a new record by stepping down just five days into her tenure. Upon hearing the news, Anthony Scaramucci—the former White House Communications Director who was dismissed just 11 days into the job during President Trump’s first term in July 2017—posted on X: “Records are meant to be broken. But I won’t take pleasure in someone else’s misfortune.”
Whenever a new White House official departs abruptly or a major staff shake-up occurs, Scaramucci’s name inevitably resurfaces. His brief 11-day stint in the White House Communications Office has become an enduring joke, even giving rise to a unit for measuring political time: “a Scaramucci”—or “a Mooch” for short.
Following a shaky performance during her first White House press briefing on the 13th, which drew intense public scrutiny, social media users began poking fun at the situation. Many speculated—with a sense of schadenfreude—whether her tenure would even last as long as “a Scaramucci” (i.e., 11 days). The prediction market site Kalshi even featured bets on “when Zacharia will leave.”
After Zacharia’s debut briefing was met with widespread mockery, Scaramucci chimed in online, poking fun at his own experience: “The countdown has begun. So far, only one-eleventh of ‘a Scaramucci’ has passed.” He added, “She’ll make it. I’m betting her tenure will last longer than ‘a Scaramucci.'”
On the 16th, Zacharia surpassed Scaramucci’s record for the shortest tenure. That afternoon, Scaramucci posted again on X, addressing Zacharia from the perspective of someone who has “been there”: “Dear @katiezacharia, as a world-leading expert on ‘short-lived White House tenures,’ I’d like to offer you some advice: turn off the news and go enjoy some time with your family. One day, you’ll realize that this was actually a great gift from above.”