Elon Musk resurfaced the saga of his Oval Office black eye by commenting on a report that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had threatened to beat up an administration rival.
Politico reported on a tense exchange at the Executive Branch, a members-only MAGA clubhouse in Washington, D.C., where witnesses allege Bessent confronted housing czar Bill Pulte, saying he was going to punch him “in the f—— face.”
The Treasury secretary then proposed taking it “outside” so he could “f—— beat [Pulte’s] a–,” before they were separated.
Hours after the report was published, Musk posted a link to the article to his 225 million X followers along with the cryptic comment: “Hmm.”
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 8, 2025
Musk’s three-letter post is notable because he was involved in a previous headline-grabbing altercation with Bessent—this one inside the White House—after the pair’s blow-up over an IRS appointment earlier this year.
Reports at the time said the dispute turned physical, though the White House downplayed it as “healthy disagreements.” Former Trump adviser Steve Bannon told the Washington Post that Musk had rammed his shoulder into Musk’s ribs “like a rugby player” during the altercation, and that Bessent had hit back.
Days later, Musk appeared in the Oval Office with a visible black eye that he said came from playful roughhousing with his 5-year-old son.
Bessent later denied giving Musk the black eye, telling reporters he was “100 percent” not responsible—while pointedly declining to detail the West Wing run-in.
The Georgetown flare-up between Bessent and Pulte—at a birthday dinner for “All-In ”podcaster Chamath Palihapitiya attended by several Cabinet-level Trump officials—appears to have been part of a broader, simmering rivalry among Trumpworld’s economic power players.
According to attendees, Bessent unleashed an expletive-laced tirade at Pulte, who he said had been bad-mouthing him to Trump.
He then demanded that Pulte be tossed from the room before club co-owner Omeed Malik split them up. No punches were thrown.
Now, with a single syllable and a hyperlink, Musk has re-focused attention on Bessent’s temper—as well as the unresolved gossip around his own White House brawl and black eye.
The Daily Beast has contacted Musk and Bessent for comment.
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