Former White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci panned President Trump’s visit with victims of mass shootings in Texas and Ohio, calling it a “catastrophe” and a “bad reflection on the country.”

When asked about a Washington Post article that reported unnamed White House officials said the trip was “not ideal” for the president because of his self-centered behavior, Mr. Scaramucci agreed.

“The president didn’t do well on the trip. He probably would be mad at somebody for saying that. Maybe he’ll tweet something negative about somebody for saying he didn’t do well, but facts are he did not do well on the trip because if the trip is being made about him and not the demonstration of compassion and love and caring and empathy for those people, then it becomes a catastrophe for him, the administration, and it’s also a bad reflection on the country,” he said on MSNBC’s “Hardball” Thursday.

Mr. Scaramucci also criticized White House staffers for leaking their viewpoints to the press instead of confronting the president directly.

“Something about Washington where there is an allergic reaction to the truth, and people would rather tell the reporter on an anonymous phone call about what they think is going on in an attempt that they think actually saves their face,” he said.

“But those people inside the White House are a bunch of cowards. They should tell [Trump] the truth instead of picking up the phone and calling a reporter,” Mr. Scaramucci said.

Mr. Trump traveled to Dayton, Ohio, and then El Paso, Texas, Wednesday to meet with the people affected by back-to-back mass shootings that left 31 dead and dozens injured.

He received criticism for bragging about his rally sizes and smiling and posing with a baby who was orphaned from the shooting.

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