Musk vs. Bessent: Oval Office fight's shocking details emerge - ‘Rammed shoulder into his rib cage'
Elon Musk and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent were reportedly involved in a physical altercation in April, during which the Tesla CEO allegedly rammed his shoulder into Bessent's rib cage, according to influential right-wing podcaster Stephen K. Bannon, who spoke to The Washington Post. The alleged scuffle comes amid Musk's escalating public feud with President Donald Trump.
According to Bannon, the incident took place in mid-April after Musk and Bessent met with Trump in the Oval Office to make their respective cases for acting IRS commissioner. Trump ultimately sided with Bessent's recommendation.
As they exited the Oval Office and walked down a hallway, Bessent reportedly confronted Musk over his unfulfilled claims of uncovering more than $1 trillion in wasteful and fraudulent government spending
'Scott said, 'You're a fraud. You're a total fraud,'' Bannon told the outlet.
Bannon said Musk, visibly angered, responded by ramming his shoulder into Bessent's rib cage 'like a rugby player.' Bessent allegedly hit him back. Multiple individuals reportedly stepped in to break up the fight. Musk was then escorted out of the West Wing.
'President Trump heard about it and said, 'This is too much,'' Bannon said.
Also Read: Will Musk be indicted? Trump closing DOGE? 10 bizarre questions after BFF duo's breakup
This isn't the first time Bannon has spoken about the altercation. Last month, he told the Daily Mail that the confrontation was sparked by Bessent questioning Musk's failure to deliver on massive federal spending cuts tied to DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency).
'Scott Bessent called him out and said, 'You promised us a trillion dollars (in cuts), and now you're at like $100 billion, and nobody can find anything, what are you doing?'' Bannon told Daily Mail. 'And that's when Elon got physical. It's a sore subject with him.'
'It wasn't an argument, it was a physical confrontation. Elon basically shoved him,' Bannon added.
Speculation about the incident intensified after Musk appeared alongside Trump at a May 30 press conference in the Oval Office to announce his departure from DOGE. Social media users noticed what looked like a black eye, sparking rumors it came from his reported fight with Bessent. Neither Musk nor Bessent has commented publicly.
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