Former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci predicted that Donald Trump would suffer a heavy defeat in Tuesday’s midterm elections, telling CNBC that he believes the president knows he is likely to lose. Scaramucci made the remarks on “Squawk Box Europe,” describing the United States as caught in a cultural and economic struggle between competing visions for the country.

Scaramucci pointed to dissatisfaction with the economy and Trump’s record. CNBC’s All-America Economic Survey found that 65% of respondents disapproved of Trump’s handling of the economy, while 80% rated economic conditions as fair or poor. Scaramucci said voters had been promised affordability, an end to “forever wars” and transparency on the Epstein files, and argued that Trump had not delivered on those promises. He added that some people within the MAGA movement were breaking with the president.

Prediction markets were pricing in roughly a three-in-four chance that Democrats would win control of the Senate. Such markets use different methods from traditional political polls and are not substitutes for polling, CNBC noted.

Scaramucci also said that a Republican defeat could lead to congressional investigations and a struggle over the party’s future. He questioned whether Republicans would remain aligned with Trump after he leaves the political stage, while saying that MAGA influence would likely persist into the 2028 presidential race, in part because of Trump’s political action committee funds.

On the Iran war, Scaramucci said he was pessimistic about a diplomatic breakthrough, citing a lack of alignment among Iran, Israel and the United States. He argued that expanding military strikes would not necessarily help the region and said wars are harmful to business and the stock market. A U.S. official told MS Now that the United States had carried out “defensive” strikes on Iran’s Qeshm Island overnight. Trump had previously said U.S. forces would not attack Iran before the midterms.

The White House did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment. It had previously told the network that Scaramucci’s “relevance ended almost a decade ago.” He served as White House communications director for 10 days in 2017, during Trump’s first term.

Sources: CNBC Markets.