Trump’s new message man begins by deleting inconvenient tweets

WASHINGTON — A day after accepting a top White House job, President Donald Trump’s new communications adviser announced Saturday that he’s deleting old tweets, saying his own views have evolved and that what he said in the past shouldn’t be a distraction.

Trump announced Friday that he’d hired Wall Street financier Anthony Scaramucci to help the White House sharpen its public message.

Social media users quickly did a deep dive and recirculated past tweets by Scaramucci that were at odds with Trump’s views, including one that praised Hillary Clinton’s competence. Trump defeated Clinton for president last year and continues to criticize her, including in several tweets Saturday.

Other repurposed Scaramucci tweets expressed support for stronger gun laws, which he tweeted about in August 2012. In May 2016, he expressed displeasure with individuals who believe climate change is a hoax. Trump has at times referred to global warming as a hoax.

“Full transparency: I’m deleting old tweets. Past views evolved & shouldn’t be a distraction. I serve @POTUS agenda & that’s all that matters,” Scaramucci said Saturday in the first of a pair of messages on the subject.

“The politics of “gotcha” are over. I have a thick skin and we’re moving on to @POTUS agenda serving the American people,” he added.

Twitter users also scrolled back deep into Scaramucci’s timeline to raise questions about a 2012 tweet in which he seemed to misattribute a quote to author Mark Twain.

“Dance like no one is watching. Sing like no one is listening. Love like you’ve never been hurt and live like its heaven on earth. Mark Twain,” Scaramucci tweeted.

Scaramucci served Trump as a campaign fund-raiser and adviser during the transition.

He made his first appearance before reporters in the White House briefing room on Friday and quickly apologized to Trump for referring to him as a “hack politician” during an August 2015 appearance on Fox Business Network.

Asked whether Trump was aware of the comment, Scaramucci joked that the president mentions it every 15 seconds.

He called it one of his “biggest mistakes” before looking into the cameras and saying: “Mr. President, if you’re listening, I personally apologize for the 50th time for saying that.”