White House says Anthony Scaramucci leaving to give new Chief of Staff John Kelly a 'clean slate'

The White House has said that former Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci was removed from his position after just 10 days in order to give incoming Chief of Staff John Kelly a "clean slate and the ability to build his own team".

The brief explanation came minutes after the New York Times reported Mr Scaramucci's dismissal. Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders later expanded on this, saying Donald Trump had been troubled by Mr Scaramucci's boasts about reporting directly to the President, rather than his chief of staff.

Mr Kelly, who was sworn in as chief of staff just hours before, is said to have personally requested Mr Scaramucci's removal. When the news of the dismissal broke, Mr Kelly was participating in a Medal of Honour ceremony in the White House. He was smiling and appeared to be in good spirits, according to pool reports.

The retired Marine Corps General was brought in to restore order to the White House – a cause Mr Scaramucci had done little to advance. Days earlier, Mr Scaramucci had called a reporter for the New Yorker to unload on his White House colleagues.

Mr Scaramucci accused then-Chief of Staff Reince Priebus of leaking about him to the press, and suggested presidential adviser Steve Bannon enjoyed performing sex acts on himself.

In a statement, the White House said it wished Mr Scaramucci "all the best".

The statement echoed that provided by former Press Secretary Sean Spicer when he resigned, just days before Mr Scaramucci's tenure began.

Mr Spicer told CNN he had stepped down in order to "give the President and the new team a clean slate". The Times reports he stepped down in protest of Mr Scaramucci's appointment.

The President has certainly been granted a "clean slate" of late, as Mr Scaramucci, Mr Spicer, and Mr Priebus all departed the White House in the span of 10 days. Mr Priebus was forced out and replaced by Mr Kelly amid escalating conflict with Mr Scaracmucci, in what was seen as a victory for the then-communications director.

Hours before Mr Scaramucci's dismissal, Mr Trump had attempted to counter reports of a White House in tumult, tweeting: "Highest Stock Market EVER, best economic numbers in years, unemployment lowest in 17 years, wages raising, border secure, S.C.: No WH chaos!"

Ms Huckabee Sanders seconded this, telling reporters the President "remains focused" on his agenda.

"What matters most to us is not who is not employed in the White House, but who’s employed in the rest of the country," she said.