President Trump's new communications director Anthony Scaramucci took on the BBC on Wednesday night in an extraordinary interview that saw him accuse political editor Emily Maitlis of being 'elitist'.

The Mooch, as he has become known, went head-to-head with Maitlis in a far-ranging 11-minute interview that covered the subtle differences between American and British society, the benefits of 'frontstabbing' and the reasons why the President's love of cheeseburgers make him a man of the people.

Trump has clashed with the BBC before - he once called the broadcaster's North America Editor Jon Sopel 'a real beauty' - and the latest meeting of minds did not disappoint.

Maitlis appeared flabbergasted by Scaramucci's line of reasoning throughout the interview - which also touched on the comparisons between the American Revolution and fast-growth start-ups like Uber.

But it was a discussion of elitism and whether President Trump's vast wealth makes him part of the global elite that proved the main flash point.

'There's so many things about the president [that make him non-elitist]. What about the cheeseburgers? What about the pizzas' he said.

'Everyone eats cheeseburgers and pizza. What are you talking about?' the astonished journalist asked.

'No, no, no. See, you're coming across a little bit elitist,' he fired back without explanation.

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Anthony Scaramucci, President Trump's new communications director, was interviewed by the BBC's Emily Maitlis for Newsnight on Wednesday

At the end of the interview, he apologized for the remark. Turning to the camera with Maitlis' extended hand still grasped in his own, he said: 'I didn't mean it. She was hitting me very hard'.

Scaramucci, a Wall Street financier, said one of the things he liked about the president was his direct way of dealing with things because it mimicked his own.

He gave a name to the president's confrontational approach to politics, calling it 'front stabbing'.

'I’m from a town right on the border of Queens and the President grew up in Queens.

'We have a little more of a different communications style (than the UK), a little bit more direct ... probably less subtle and polite. You don’t think politicians in your home town are hitting each other left and right?

'One of the things I can't stand about this town is the back-stabbing. Where I grew up we’re front-stabbers.'

Later, he offered the interviewer an explanation of the term by bemoaning his new surroundings.

'I'm now living in Washington. Do you live in Washington? What happens in Washington is someone says something to your face and they don't mean it and they say something else behind your back.

'So what I like about the president, it's actually good leadership, to say the things to people's faces that he actually means and then let's resolve it or not resolve it.'

The 11-minute interview touched on a wide range of topics including whether or not Attorney General Jeff Sessions would see out the week before being fired.

Scaramucci would not be drawn on whether Sessions was staring down the barrel of being fired.

'It would be inappropriate for me to get in the middle of that. I think it will resolve itself over the next week or so.'

Scaramucci emphasized his many points with some expressive hand gestures

He reached over to touch the interviewer's hand several times and, in all, gave a convivial performance

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE MOOCH'S INTERVIEW On the president 'He's a very straight shooter. He likes to express himself. He likes to let people know how he feels. Sometimes it's a tough conversation.' On Attorney General Jeff Sessions 'I don't want to interrupt whatever ultimately is going to be the outcome between Attorney General Sessions and the president. I like both people a great deal.' On Washington 'This is a very tough town. One of the things that I cannot stand about this town is the backstabbing that goes on here. Where I grew up, in the neighborhood I'm from, we're front stabbers. Lucky for you, you don't live here in Washington. 'This is the scandals incorporated down here. We manufacture fake scandals so that we can disrupt people, so that we can hit them personally.' To his colleagues 'Have a tough exoskeleton. Be a tough person with a strong backbone.' On the senate blocking the healthcare act 'It's too early. What do we know. That's a congregational setting.' On Russia 'We were political neophytes back in June of last year. Donald J. Trump Jr., who is a dear, personal friend of mine and I can attest to all of your viewers that he has done nothing wrong and he will be completely exonerated.' On American history You know what this nation is? It's a disruptive start-up. It was a group of rich guys that got together and said "you know what? We're going to break away from the other countries and start our own country" On his humble beginnings 'I grew up in a middle class family. We had virtually, a tight budget and little to no money. I spent 30 years of my life trying to get in to the global elite so that I could stand here and serve the president.' Advertisement

Of the president's recent scathing comments about Sessions (in which he called him beleaguered and said he would never have given him the job had he known he would recuse himself), Scaramucci offered a word of warning to colleagues: 'If you really understand the president's personality, he's a very straight shooter.'

He reiterated his advice later, saying: 'If you can handle the president's personality and his temperament which I happen to love then you're going to do great with the president.'

When questioned about Obamacare and whether the president was slighted by the four Republican senators who stepped away from his plan to replace it last week, Scaramucci said he couldn't comment on what happened in the Senate because it was a 'congregational setting'.

In an astonishing comparison of events, he compared Trump's battle to repeal Obamacare with Abraham Lincoln's fight to abolish slavery.

Referring to Lincoln's biography, he said: 'If you read Team of Rivals it took Lincoln three or four times to get what he wanted from the House of Representatives and the Senate which was the full abolition of slavery.

'That was a much tougher thing to get done than what we're working on right now,' he added hastily.

In a glowing tribute to his new boss, he described him as a 'remarkably loyal guy' and but one who insists on 'symmetrical loyalty'.

'The loyalty always has to be symmetrical.

'You don't want it to be asymmetrical,' Scaramucci mused.

He touched on Donald Trump Jr.'s ill-fated meeting with a Russian lawyer who promised him dirt on Hillary Clinton last year, saying: 'All of us were political neophytes back in June of last year.'

Staring in to the camera, he gave a fierce defense of Donald Jr., who he said was a 'dear personal friend who has done absolutely nothing wrong'.

'There's a difference between being naive and being inexperienced.'

At the end of the interview, he turned to the camera to address viewers and tell them: 'She was hitting me hard'

The pair enjoyed a lingering handshake at the end of the 11-minute interview

Maitlis seemed to enjoy the showdown, later taking to Twitter to describe Scaramucci as a 'supremely good sport'

He offered some insight into the Brexit vote, telling Maitlis: 'Have you been to a Bernie Sanders rally? Have you been to a Trump rally?

'There is discontent, Emily. There is civil discontent.'

At this, Scaramucci reached over to tap Maitlis's hand repeatedly.

In an unapologetic show of transparency, he admitted having 'no idea what was going on' with a trade deal between the US and UK which hinges on chlorine-rinsed chicken.

'Here's the good thing about me. You and I are meeting for the first time. I have no idea what's going on with the chlorine rinsed chicken and so even to pretend and make something up to you, I'm just not going to do that, OK?

Scaramucci would not be drawn on whether the president plans to fire Attorney General Jeff Sessions (seen above together in February) but said 'the issue should be resolved in a week'

Scaramucci defended Donald Trump Jr., describing him as a 'personal friend'. He also gave a glowing tribute to Jared Kushner, the president's son-in-law, who he said was 'earnest and honest'

Get used to it: Scaramucci said the president was a 'straight shooter' and urged his colleagues to develop a thick 'exoskeleton' in order to survive working for him

'If you want to interview me in a week or two, I'll figure out what's going on with chlorine rinsed chicken and I bet you I'll have a clever answer for you,' he said, tapping the presenter's hand again.

Showing off his history knowledge, he concluded the interview: 'You know what this nation is? It's a disruptive start-up. It was a group of rich guys that got together and said "you know what? We're going to break away from the other countries and start our own country".

'The president's bringing it back to its roots of disruption.'

Promising good trade relations with the UK, Scaramucci said the president was 'about reciprocity', about 'fair and equal trade'.

To cap off the exchange, he said with a fixed smile: 'I'm having a lot of fun. I love my country.

'I had lunch with the president today and I can't tell you who else was there but the president looked over and said "doesn't Anthony look like he's having a good time". And the answer is yes.'

Scaramucci took over from Sean Spicer this week. He is pictured in the briefing room with the new White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders

Outgoing White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer, who resigned from the role last week. He will serve until August

Scaramucci was announced as the White House Communications Director last week.

Sean Spicer, the embattled former White House Press Secretary, announced his resignation shortly afterwards.

He explained the decision afterwards, saying he did not want there to be 'too many cooks' in the White House communications division.

The president said he was a 'wonderful' person and accepted that he bore the brunt of the administration's ongoing feud with the media.

From the get-go, Spicer's pugnacious approach to the press corps dominated the briefing room. He tore in to journalists, accusing them of lying and falsely representing facts, and sometimes banned publications from briefings.