Bessent shouted profanities at a goading Elon Musk in West Wing after Trump told warring pair to ‘have at it’
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent repeatedly shouted “F*** you!” at Elon Musk during a nasty West Wing brawl that unfolded within earshot of President Donald Trump in the Oval Office, according to a report.
Bessent momentarily became unhinged in the halls of the West Wing, so set off by a goading Musk that he yelled loudly enough for Trump to hear from within the Oval Office, according to an explosive new report in The Atlantic.
The escalating verbal dispute through the West Wing began because Musk had attempted to select Gary Shapley to lead the IRS – without first getting Bessent’s approval.
In response to his profanity-laced outburst, Musk began to taunt Bessent, calling him a “Soros agent” and accusing him of having run “a failed hedge fund.”
“Say it louder,” Musk further taunted Bessent amid his tirade, their faces just inches apart, according to The Atlantic.
While Shapley, a former IRS agent who leaked details about Hunter Biden’s taxes, was out after just three days, the brawl was indicative of other issues ushered in by the DOGE-chief.
Musk arrived in Washington, D.C. with grand plans to eliminate $2 trillion in government spending, but was met with court challenges, and many of his DOGE cuts were reversed. More recently, he admitted his efforts to cut taxpayer spending had proven to be “really, really difficult,” according to the report.
Meanwhile, behind the scenes, Trump’s cabinet members were growing tired of Musk’s meddling.
One Trump advisor told The Atlantic, “How many people were fired because they didn’t send in their three things a week or whatever the f*** it was?”
“I think that everyone is ready to move on from this part of the administration,” the source added.
Tensions hit a boiling point during a March cabinet meeting, when Trump demanded everyone “have at it,” according to the report.
Details of the intense meeting, including Musk’s heated spats with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, immediately leaked to the press.
While Musk expected an ambush, he was reportedly unaware just how fed up the cabinet was with him, according to the report.
At that point, he insisted his problem wasn’t firing people, but not being able to hire “better” ones quickly enough, according to the report.
