The Mooch Is Out: Trump Dumps Him

Well, that was quick: The Mooch is out. President Trump on Monday decided to remove Anthony Scaramucci from his brand-new post as White House communications director. Coverage of the surprise move makes one thing clear: The decision came at the request of new chief of staff John Kelly, who is in his first day on the job. Scaramucci didn't even last two weeks in the job, though he made an impression with, among other things, a profanity-laced rant against rivals such as former chief of staff Reince Priebus. Related coverage:

• One big takeaway: The bold move by Kelly shows that he is "moving quickly to assert control over the West Wing," per the Washington Post. It appears to be working: He "is already changing the culture around here," one White House aide tells Politico.
• The firer: Scaramucci was "too loose a cannon" for Kelly's taste, writes David Graham at the Atlantic, who is not surprised that the impetus to can him came from the chief of staff. For all his reputation of being the guy to yell "you're fired," President Trump is actually reluctant to do that in the real world, he notes.

• Fatigue factor: Trump was initially pleased with Scaramucci's tough-talking persona, but Kelly and Trump family members began to turn the president against Scaramucci over the weekend, portraying him as a political embarrassment, according to the New York Times, which was first to report the firing.
• Bannon factor: Axios reports that Steve Bannon, a target of Scaramucci's infamous tirade, had been pushing hard to get him fired. Bannon reportedly has a good relationship with Kelly, though it's unclear whether they spoke about Scaramucci.
• White House: "Mr. Scaramucci felt it was best to give Chief of Staff John Kelly a clean slate and the ability to build his own team," says the official statement. "We wish him all the best."
• Mocked online: The short tenure is leading to a lot of jokes along the lines of "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days," and People rounds them up. One notes that the short stay "made Kim Kardashian's marriage to Kris Humphries seem long."
• Next for Mooch: It's not clear whether he will leave the White House entirely or shift into a different position.
• Bigger challenge? "In ousting Scaramucci, Kelly is only solving a problem that has existed for a mere 10 days," writes Andrew Prokop at Vox. The looming question is whether he can get Trump himself to rein in behavior often criticized as non-presidential.
• From the right: "This is a shift in culture of the White House and I for one am glad to see it," writes Terresa Monroe-Hamilton at Right Wing News.

(More Anthony Scaramucci stories.)