When I raised the issue with Mr. Scaramucci about whether he was sacrificing his principles, he said there was a time-honored tradition in political circles of changing your view of someone or something, and that the criticism he was getting for that was “the most hypocritical thing in Washington.” He then offered up a list of politicians, including Ronald Reagan and Winston Churchill, who he said had changed their minds about particular stances and gone on to be considered legendary public servants.

And, he said, context matters.

At the time of his negative remarks about Mr. Trump, “he was hitting the hedge funds,” Mr. Scaramucci said, referring to Mr. Trump’s attacks at the time on the industry as “paper pushers.”

“And I was hitting back,” Mr. Scaramucci continued. “I know how to fight.”

And we know that Mr. Trump likes a fighter.

Indeed, Mr. Scaramucci is about the closest thing to Wall Street’s version of his new boss. He’s a silver-tongued Trump. A consummate salesman, like his boss. He’s an impresario, one of New York’s most colorful characters, like his boss. He has written three books, similar to his boss’s self-help books. (He has even written about remaking himself: One of his books is called “Hopping Over the Rabbit Hole: How Entrepreneurs Turn Failure Into Success.”)

And Mr. Scaramucci believes that all — or at least, most — publicity is good publicity, as long as you spell his name right (which isn’t that easy).

Like Mr. Trump, Mr. Scaramucci is driven by a deep sense that he has something to prove.

The comparison to Mr. Trump, he said, “is a huge compliment.” But he was quick to wave it away. “When someone says you're one in a million ...” he began his next sentence, as if to suggest such a comparison can never be true. Then he pivoted to say that Mr. Trump is the anomaly. “This a one-of-a-kind, incredibly unique individual.”

As to whether Mr. Scaramucci, who has no political background or experience, can translate in Washington, he was fast to suggest that it would be a natural fit. “Ironically, even though I’m a Wall Streeter, I gravitated towards the communications,” he said. “If I didn’t have so much financial anxiety, I wouldn’t have gone towards Wall Street.”