Trump needs to end family separation 'today,' says Anthony Scaramucci

Even ex-White House staffers are lobbying President Trump to end the separation of children and parents at the border.

Former White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci is the latest Trump affiliate to demand the president end the divisive immigration policy "today," calling the policy "atrocious" and "offensive to the average American" on CNN on Monday morning.

Scaramucci isn't blaming the policy on Trump. He just thinks the president can end it more quickly than Congress. It's just like the time the New York City government was struggling to complete a Central Park ice rink and Trump stepped in to get the job done, Scaramucci told CNN.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Scaramucci also suggested piling more blame on the president's advisers. The Department of Homeland Security, not Trump, envisioned the policy under former head John Kelly, Scaramucci said, so Trump should stop listening to those staffers. But ultimately, Trump is a TV star, so Scaramucci told CNN that he's confident the president will recognize how bad this situation looks and clean it up before it hurts Republicans in the midterm elections. "He doesn't need this type of visual or this type of imagery," he said, "aside from" the fact that the policy "is inhumane and it's cruel."

Watch the exchange below. Kathryn Krawczyk