Former Trump White House Press Secretary Anthony Scaramucci recently compared former President Donald Trump to Logan Roy, the patriarch of the Roy family in the HBO series Succession.
Scaramucci, who only served in the White House for 11 days, made the comparison during an interview with Stephanie Ruhle on MSNBC. According to Scaramucci, Trump and Roy share a love-hate relationship with their families, likening Trump to Roy’s character who is a "family man," albeit a controlling and narcissistic one.
While Ruhle pushed back on the comparison, Scaramucci maintained that Roy loves his children, despite his toxic parenting style.
Brian Cox, the actor who portrays Logan Roy in Succession, recently revealed in an interview with Collider that the show’s creator, Jesse Armstrong, has said that Roy does love his children. However, Cox also noted that Roy’s controlling nature and toxic parenting has resulted in four emotionally stunted adults.
Scaramucci appears to have used Cox’s recent quote to support his argument on Twitter after his appearance on Ruhle’s show. The comparison between Trump and Roy is not entirely unfounded, as both men have been accused of manipulating and controlling those around them, including their own families.
You can hear what Scaramucci said in the video below.
\u201cScaramucci: This is a family guy.. He sort of the Logan Roy of politics\nRuhle: Logan Roy is not family man \nScaramucci: You got to watch the show very carefully. He actually loves those kids..\u201d— Acyn (@Acyn) 1680751072
Scaramucci said:
"This is a family guy, whether you like Mr. Trump or not. He’s sort of the Logan Roy of American politics. He has this love-hate relationship with his family."
When Ruhle pushed back by pointing out that Trump can't possibly be a "family man" in the same way as Ward Cleaver, the patriarch on Leave It to Beaver, Scaramucci explained:
“Oh, no, no, I — you gotta watch the show very carefully. He actually loves those kids. It’s just this whole narcissistic web that he’s put those kids into.”
Ruhle did indeed look surprised by Scaramucci's comparison, which did not go unnoticed by social media users.
\u201c@Acyn All of us\u201d— Acyn (@Acyn) 1680751072
\u201c@Acyn The face Stephanie is making. lmao\u201d— Acyn (@Acyn) 1680751072
Others had their own observations to share.
\u201c@Acyn He's a family man in that he doesn't give a crap about his family.\u201d— Acyn (@Acyn) 1680751072
\u201c@Acyn Trump is a family guy, like the mafia is a family business.\u201d— Acyn (@Acyn) 1680751072
\u201c@Acyn Kind of makes you wonder what kind of family he had to make him think Logan Roy is a family man\u2026\u201d— Acyn (@Acyn) 1680751072
\u201c@Acyn Scaramucci: The Sopranos was a family comedy, like, Growing Pains and Home Improvement.\u201d— Acyn (@Acyn) 1680751072
\u201c@Acyn Logan Roy is a fictions character. Trump is a career criminal that finally ran out of time.\u201d— Acyn (@Acyn) 1680751072
\u201c@Acyn Logan Roy of "Succession": He does have a love-hate relationship with his kids. He doesn't know how to show love ... consequently, either do the kids. \nI love the show and, frankly ALL the characters are severely flawed.\u201d— Acyn (@Acyn) 1680751072
Succession has become a popular cultural touchstone for discussions around wealth, power and family dynamics.
The show portrays the Roy family as a dysfunctional and morally bankrupt group of people who are willing to do whatever it takes to maintain their grip on their media and entertainment conglomerate, Waystar RoyCo.
While Scaramucci’s comparison of Trump to Logan Roy may be controversial, it highlights the ways in which popular culture can inform and shape our understanding of real-world politics and power dynamics.
Both Succession and the Trump presidency are testaments to the fact that those with wealth and influence often operate according to their own set of rules, and that the consequences of their actions can be far-reaching and devastating.
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