On 27 July, Anthony Scaramucci, Donald Trump’s new communications director, called a New Yorker journalist. “I fired one guy the other day,” Scaramucci snarled down the phone. “I have three to four people I’ll fire tomorrow.”
Four days later, and just 10 days after his appointment, Scaramucci has been fired. Perhaps he should have expected it – he was working for the former star of The Apprentice. Still, it turns out a lot of things last longer than Scaramucci:
1. Andie Anderson and Benjamin Barrie in How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days – at least 11
Andie (Kate Hudson) deliberately tries to drive a guy away and yet they end up together for longer than Scaramucci had his feet under a White House desk.
The fact hasn’t been lost on Hudson.
2. Diane James’s Ukip leadership – 18 days
When Diane James was elected successor to Nigel Farage, she declared she was not “Nigel-lite” and would be “making my own decisions”.
Just over a fortnight later, she decided to quit the leadership, and seven weeks later she quit the party altogether.
Still, almost twice as long as Scaramucci.
3. David Blaine in a box – 44 days
On 5 September 2003, the magician David Blaine was put in a transparent box and suspended over the Thames with nothing but 4.5 litres of water a day.
Survived longer than Scaramucci.
4. Sam Allardyce managing England – 67 days
After one match (Slovakia 0, England 1), a newspaper investigation alleged England manager Sam Allardyce was offering advice on how to “get around” player transfer rules.
He left his post by mutual agreement. Unlike Scaramucci.
5. Kim and Kris’s marriage – 72 days
Reality star Kim Kardashian married basketball player Kris Humphries on 20 August 2011. In October of that year, “Kim’s Fairytale Wedding” was watched by more than 8 million viewers over two nights. On 31 October 2011, Kim filed for divorce.
A kind of commitment that puts Trump’s White House to shame. Still, Scaramucci did last longer than Britney Spears’s marriage to Jason Alexander (55 hours).