Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent laughed off reports that he threatened to punch a top housing finance official by joking about the demise of Alexander Hamilton.
Bessent is alleged to have squared off against Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte at a swanky party attended by multiple Trump administration figures, Politico reported earlier this month.
The Treasury secretary was reportedly furious that Pulte had been badmouthing him to President Donald Trump, warning he would punch him “in the f—ing face” and suggesting they step outside so he could “f—ing beat [his] a–.”
During an appearance on CNBC’s Squawk Box on Tuesday, Bessent was asked if he wanted to shed more light on his clash with Pulte.
“Treasury secretaries dating back to Alexander Hamilton have a history of dueling,” Bessent quipped, referencing how Hamilton, the first Treasury secretary, was killed in an 1804 duel with Aaron Burr. “It turned out a little better for the Treasury side this time.”
Bessent went on to suggest that any heated disagreements inside Trump’s orbit are just part of governing.
“With President Trump’s team, just like any great sports team, you can argue in the locker room, but when we get out on the field we do the best for the president and the American people every day,” he said.
The scuffle with Pulte is not even the first time that the 6-foot-4-inch Bessent has thrown his weight around against those he dislikes in Trump’s orbit.
In April, Bessent and former Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) chief Elon Musk had to be separated after a shouting match in the White House corridors within earshot of Trump. During the fiery confrontation, Bessent repeatedly yelled “F— you!” in Musk’s face, while the tech billionaire fired back by calling Bessent a “total fraud” for running two failed hedge funds.
According to Trump ally Steve Bannon, Musk, 54, then drove his shoulder into 63-year-old Bessent’s rib cage “like a rugby player,” forcing several people to pull the pair apart, The Washington Post reported. Another witness described the scene as “two middle-aged men thinking it was WWE in the West Wing.”
Weeks later, Musk appeared at a press conference in the Oval Office alongside Trump sporting a black eye, prompting speculation that Bessent went back for another round.
However, Bessent told Bloomberg in August he could “100 percent say I did not give him the black eye.”
When pressed by reporters in the Oval Office in late May, Musk insisted the injury came from “horsing around” with his five-year-old son, X Æ A-12.
“I said, ‘Go ahead, punch me in the face.’ And he did,” Musk said. “Turns out, even a five-year-old punching you in the face actually [leaves a mark].”
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