Mulvaney dishes on Trump’s Capitol fail, time as ex-White House aide on SC podcast

Former White House acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney said on the most recent episode of the “Bourbon in the Backroom” podcast that he always believed that former President Donald Trump, at the end of the day, could be presidential.

But on Jan. 6 when a mob of pro-Trump rioters broke into the Capitol, Trump “failed” at the job.

Mulvaney, 53, sat down with former State House colleagues, Joel Lourie and Vincent Sheheen — two former Democratic state senators who started a podcast this year to talk about national and state politics and legislative-related news.

Mulvaney, who now leads a hedge fund and a consulting firm, said on the podcast he had no interest running for president or governor.

Mulvaney, a former state senator and congressman, told Lourie and Sheheen he enjoyed being Trump’s aide, but added, “You’re living on adrenaline 100% of the time.”

“There’s a reason that the average life expectancy of a chief of staff is about 18 months,” Mulvaney said.

Mulvaney made it 15 months as Trump’s acting chief of staff before stepping down to serve in an administration diplomatic post as Trump’s special envoy to North Ireland. He left that job after the Jan. 6 Capitol riot over his displeasure with Trump’s handling and response when a pro-Trump mob broke into the Capitol as Congress was readying for a vote to certify President Joe Biden’s election win.

In a series of tweets then, Mulvaney demanded Trump do more to stop that day, saying Trump’s tweets were “not enough.”

On the podcast, Mulvaney said he was in Washington that day to go onto the House floor and watch the vote certification. He just so happened to also be speaking to a group of freshman Republicans about the importance of working together.

When Trump’s response never came, Mulvaney said he took to Twitter to try to speak directly to the president.

“This is an armed insurrection for the purpose of preventing the certification of the president, which is a constitutional process,” Mulvaney said. “This is effectively a coup.”

Trump was always at the end of the day, Mulvaney said, could be presidential.

But, he added, Trump “failed at doing that on Jan. 6 at the very highest level.”

Mulvaney said the two have not spoken since he exited the administration.

Mulvaney was asked on the podcast to give his reaction to a series of politicians from South Carolina and elsewhere.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi? “As nasty as you see on television.” House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy? “Really nice guy.”

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas? “Never cared for Ted,” Mulvaney said. House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn? “A straight shooter, a professional and a gentleman,” Mulvaney said.

Asked about former Gov. Nikki Haley, Mulvaney said he believes she will run for president in 2024 and would be a good president. But, he added, “I don’t understand why she burns bridges with people who agree with her philosophically.”

However, who could be the nominee for president in 2024 should Trump not run, Mulvaney said U.S. Sen. Tim Scott.

“I think that the lane that exists right now is for someone who defines him or herself outside of Donald Trump,” he said.

“I think Tim Scott, should he decide to run, has a very compelling argument in that lane.”

In a more lighthearted moment, Lourie asked Mulvaney to talk about the “cough” incident, in which Mulvaney left the room after he coughed during a television interview, a moment that was reported as Mulvaney at risk of losing his job, he recalled.

Mulvaney, said Trump could not see him when he coughed and the president thought it was a cameraman.

But, Mulvaney said, George Stephanopoulos outed him.

People always ask whether Trump ever apologized after the moment, Mulvaney said.

“That’s the one time.”