Anthony Scaramucci on Surviving Donald Trump and Sam Bankman-Fried - and Going All In on Bitcoin
Anthony Scaramucci knows a thing or two about volatility—both in politics and in financial markets. At DigiAssets, he delivered a candid, fast-paced keynote that was part financial forecast, part personal reckoning, and entirely entertaining.
Known for his brief, headline-grabbing stint as White House Communications Director under Donald Trump—“It was 11 days, not 10,” he reminded the audience with a notable smile—Scaramucci has long been a formidable financial figure as founder and managing partner of SkyBridge Capital, the Mooch has placed a significant portion of his professional – and personal – capital behind crypto.
A Career Forged in Chaos
Scaramucci didn’t shy away from his well-publicised setbacks. “I’ve been humbled by life and markets,” he admitted. “If you’re ever having a bad day, call me—I’ll cheer you up. It can’t be worse than July 31, 2017.” That was the day his White House career ended as swiftly as it began. “Trump never actually fired me,” he noted. “General Kelly did.”
Before he became a household name for his 11-day tenure in the White House, Anthony Scaramucci built a solid reputation in the world of finance. Born in Long Island, New York, Scaramucci earned his undergraduate degree from Tufts University and went on to receive a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School in 1989. Though trained as a lawyer, his ambitions quickly shifted to Wall Street.
Scaramucci began his career at Goldman Sachs in the investment banking division but was let go shortly after his initial hire. He was later rehired into the firm’s private wealth management division, where he thrived. That early setback—and his quick rebound—foreshadowed a career marked by bold comebacks. In 2005, he founded SkyBridge Capital, a global alternative investment firm, which would become his primary platform for navigating the worlds of hedge funds and, eventually, cryptocurrency.
As his stock continued to rise, he became a firm figure in US politics until his dismissal, an experience, while bruising, that would become a public trial by fire that prepared him for even rougher waters ahead—particularly, the collapse of FTX.
The collapse in November 2022 stands as one of the most dramatic failures in cryptocurrency history, shaking investor confidence and prompting widespread regulatory scrutiny. Founded in 2019 by Sam Bankman-Fried, FTX rapidly ascended to become the world's third-largest crypto exchange, boasting over one million users and a valuation of $32 billion. Its success was bolstered by high-profile endorsements, aggressive marketing campaigns, and substantial political donations.
However, the foundation of FTX's empire was deeply flawed. In March 2024, Bankman-Fried was convicted of multiple counts of fraud and sentenced to 25 years in prison, marking a significant downfall from his previous status as a major figure in the crypto industry.
Scaramucci had sold a stake in SkyBridge to Sam Bankman-Fried. Their professional relationship—at one point seen as strategic—became a source of scrutiny. “It was heartbreaking to find out what Sam was doing,” he said. “He hurt our business and our reputation.”
The fallout was intense: four and a half hours of testimony before the IRS, SEC, DOJ, FBI, and more. “I had to turn over my phone, my email, Signal, WhatsApp—everything,” he said. “It was brutal. But if you have integrity, you’ll always have opportunity. Even if you get fired from the White House. Even if you team up with Sam Bankman-Fried.”
Turning the Page at SkyBridge
Today, SkyBridge is thriving—and deeply embedded in the digital asset ecosystem. “We have nine figures in Bitcoin and Solana on our corporate balance sheet,” Scaramucci revealed. “About 40% of our client capital is allocated to crypto.”
That exposure includes fund-of-funds holdings, partnerships with names like Multicoin and Brevan Howard Digital, and a dedicated coin fund that includes Polkadot, Avalanche, and Bitcoin. He also spoke proudly of SkyBridge’s success in secondary markets, where they’ve made early investments in now-prominent firms like Astero Labs, Chime, Klarna, and particularly Circle.
“Circle was a big home run,” he said. “We invested when people were panicking after the Silicon Valley Bank collapse. Now they’re trading at an $18 billion market cap.”
Scaramucci believes the broader market is still in its early innings—and that’s what excites him most. “The people outside this room are the ones I’m thinking about,” he said. “They’re the skeptics. They’re the ones still waiting for regulation.”
He’s optimistic that clarity is coming. “We’ve got two bills—the Stable Act and the Genius Act—on the table. Real legislation is finally in motion.” He pointed to JP Morgan’s recent move to accept iBit as margin collateral as a landmark moment. “You can’t hold Bitcoin there yet—but give it 12 to 18 months. It’s coming.”
A Personal Portfolio Powered by Bitcoin
Few investors put their money where their mouth is like Scaramucci. “Right now, about 70% of my net worth is tied into Bitcoin,” he said. “And that number keeps going up because of the price action.” He recalled a telling conversation with Michael Saylor, who wrote the foreword to Scaramucci’s new book, The Little Book of Bitcoin.
“Michael called me from one of his yachts and said, ‘You’re recommending a 2% allocation in your book. How much do you have in?’ At the time it was less, but I told him. He said, ‘That’s not good enough. Rewrite the last chapter.’ So I did.” The updated edition now reflects a far more assertive stance: go long, and stay long. “This is the best investment idea I’ve had in 36 years on Wall Street,” Scaramucci said. “Why would I only allocate 2%?”
Politics, Satire, and Staying in the Game
Though no longer in the West Wing, Scaramucci remains deeply engaged in U.S. politics. As co-host of the podcast The Rest Is Politics: U.S., he brings a bipartisan lens to everything from economic policy to international relations.
He’s particularly critical of the current political tone. “It sucks that people feel afraid to visit the U.S. because of what they’ve said online,” he lamented. “We spent 80 years trying to be the good guys.”
And as for Donald Trump? “With him, it’s a buffet—but you can’t pick and choose. You have to eat everything. The Trump coin, the meme coin, the Greenland invasion. That’s the problem.” Scaramucci closed his keynote with advice that was part financial, part philosophical: “If you believe in something and you stay the course, you’ll be rewarded.”
“Even though Warren Buffett doesn’t like Bitcoin, I think he hasn’t done the homework. But I’ll quote him anyway: ‘Should I trade Michael Jordan for five scrubs?’ Of course not.”
Bitcoin, for Scaramucci, is Michael Jordan.
Want more from Scaramucci? His new book The Little Book of Bitcoin is available now, and his podcast The Rest Is Politics: U.S. drops weekly. But for those in the room at DigiAssets, the message was simple: the future is digital, the moment is now—and The Mooch is all in.