Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is an absolute beast…
You don’t want to get on his wrong side! And, I say that quite literally.
In a hilarious moment from today’s Senate hearing, Sen. Thom Tillis asked Bessent if he threatened to punch Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte in the face.
Bessent corrected him, “No, sir, I actually said I was going to kick his *ss!”
Watch this:
🚨 LMFAO!! Sec. Scott Bessent's response here is PURE GOLD
TILLIS: "Did you actually tell Director Bill Pulte you'd punch him in the face?"
BESSENT: "No, sir…I actually said I was going to kick his ass."
😭😭
"That was Summer 2025. Many teams have fights in the locker room,… pic.twitter.com/aMdk8z5xZK
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) June 3, 2026
LMFAO!! Sec. Scott Bessent’s response here is PURE GOLD
TILLIS: “Did you actually tell Director Bill Pulte you’d punch him in the face?”
BESSENT: “No, sir…I actually said I was going to kick his ass.”
😭😭
“That was Summer 2025. Many teams have fights in the locker room, then go out and win for the team.”
Bessent 🫱🏼🫲🏻 @Pulte
🤣
To give you some background, Sen. Tillis was referring to media reports from last September about a heated clash between Bessent and Pulte.
At the time, Politico reported:
But amid the cocktail-hour din, Bessent lashed out at Pulte in an expletive-laden diatribe. The Treasury secretary had heard from several people that the Federal Housing Finance Agency director had been badmouthing him to Trump, a person close to him said. He wasn’t about to engage in chit-chat as if nothing was amiss.
“Why the fuck are you talking to the president about me? Fuck you,” Bessent told Pulte. “I’m gonna punch you in your fucking face.”
The scene was described to me by one eyewitness and four other people familiar with what happened. The only fact they disagreed on was whether it was Bessent or Pulte who initiated the conversation. They and others who described the conflict were granted anonymity due to the sensitivity of the situation.
Pulte appeared stunned, and the tense encounter prompted club co-owner and financier Omeed Malik to intervene, according to the three people. But Bessent wasn’t having it — he sought to get him kicked out, the eyewitness said.
“It’s either me or him,” Bessent said to Malik. “You tell me who’s getting the fuck out of here.”
“Or,” he added, “we could go outside.”
“To do what?” asked Pulte. “To talk?”
“No,” Bessent replied. “I’m going to fucking beat your ass.”
ADVERTISEMENTSeeking to deescalate the situation, Malik separated the men, walking Bessent to another part of the club to calm down. During the seated dinner, Bessent and Pulte were placed on opposite ends of the table, and the party went off without further episode.
Since then, it appears the two have settled their differences.
Recently, Bill Pulte was chosen by President Trump to replace Tulsi Gabbard as Acting Director of National Intelligence.
Scott Bessent has signaled that he supports the move, unlike Sen. Thom Tillis.
Per The Hill:
Bessent added that “many teams have fights in the locker room and then go out and win for the team on the table.”
The North Carolina Republican said he was “curious” about the incident before noting that he will not support Pulte to replace Tulsi Gabbard, who stepped down from the role last month.
“I had a very good exchange with the director yesterday, want to keep the momentum going on EPIC,” Bessent continued, referring to the Energy and Performance Information Center.
Tillis said Pulte “lost” him “when he went after” former Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, who last summer Pulte called on to resign.
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