Treasury secretary Scott Bessent ‘threatened to punch Trump official’

US treasury secretary Scott Bessent is under fire for reportedly threatening to “punch” a colleague “in the f**king face” during a MAGA dinner.

The 63-year-old Republican, who is gay, allegedly caused a scene during a 3 September dinner in Washington DC.

During the event at the Executive Branch club, where top administration officials came to honour club co-founder and MAGA influencer, Chamath Palihapitiya, Bessent allegedly confronted William Pulte, director of the government’s Federal Housing Finance Agency, over rumours he was trashing the treasury official to president Donald Trump.

According to reports from Politico, Bessent yelled at Pulte, asking: “Why the f**k are you talking to the president about me?”

“F**k you. I’m gonna punch you in your f**king face,” he allegedly went on.

Attempting to intervene, the club’s co-owner, Omeed Malik, was reportedly told by Bessent that either he or Pulte needed to be kicked out before the dinner proceeding, saying: “It’s either me or him.”

“You tell me who’s getting the f**k out of here,” he allegedly went on, before reportedly turning to Pulte and adding: “Or we could go outside.”

Asked by Pulte whether he would calmly speak to him outside the venue, Bessent refused, allegedly saying he was going to “f**king beat your ass.”

The two were eventually separated and placed on opposite ends of the dinner table during the event, the report claims.

Scott Bessent’s alleged threats ‘unhinged’, Trump insider says

Trump administration insiders told Politico the alleged incident between the two officials was “bonkers,” while another called it “unhinged.”

The report comes after Trump announced in May that Bessent, Pulte, and commerce secretary Howard Lutnick would collaborate on plans to privatise Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, federal housing bodies created by the US government.

Trump insiders reportedly argued that a well-known feud between Lutnick and Bessent contributed to the outburst, causing what Politico described as “significant distrust” between the three officials.

This isn’t the first time claims have been made about Bessent’s conduct towards Trump administration officials. In April, he reportedly confronted former Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) chief Elon Musk, which quickly turned into a shouting match, according to The Atlantic.

The pair reportedly threatened to trade blows during an argument in the West Wing after Musk called him a “Soros” agent – referring to billionaire George Soros.