Who is Scott Bessent? The banker who beat up richest man Elon Musk - here is what went down
The White House witnessed two rare phenomenon this year- an openly gay Republican taking charge of the
US treasury department
and that same person beating up the richest man
Elon Musk
. Moreover, the brawl between Scott Bessent and Musk eventually contributed to the latter's messy break-up with Donald Trump.
The confrontation unfolded in the West Wing following a contentious Oval Office meeting, where both men lobbied Trump over who should lead the IRS.
After the meeting, Bessent called Musk a 'total fraud,' accusing him of failing to deliver on promised spending cuts. In response, Musk allegedly delivered a forceful shoulder strike to Bessent's ribcage 'like a rugby player,' triggering a brief brawl that bystanders had to break up, as narrated by MAGA activist Steve Bannon.
Trump, upon learning of the incident, reportedly said it was 'too much.' The scuffle ended with Musk being escorted out of the West Wing.
Who is Scott Bessent?
Scott Bessent is the first openly gay Treasury Secretary and the first openly LGBTQ Senate-confirmed Cabinet member in a Republican administration. A Yale graduate, he built a distinguished career in finance with roles at Brown Brothers Harriman, the Olayan Group, and Kynikos Associates before entering public service.
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He has been a long-time advocate, supporter and mentor of financial literacy and education programs.
He has endorsed key pillars of Trump's economic agenda, including business deregulation, tax cuts, and tariffs targeting major US trading partners. In announcing his nomination on November 22, Trump praised Bessent as 'a strong advocate of the America First Agenda.'
However, Bessent has faced some skepticism from conservatives. When Trump first considered him for the role, it sparked criticism from Elon Musk, the billionaire tapped to co-lead the newly established Department of Government Efficiency.
'Bessent is a business-as-usual choice,' Musk had said, adding, 'Business-as-usual is driving America bankrupt, so we need change one way or another.'
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