‘I’m Gonna Punch You!’: Trump’s Treasury Chief Confronts Rival for Badmouthing Him to the Boss Over Dinner—It’s Not His First Fight, Just Ask Elon Musk
A private dinner for senior Trump administration officials in Georgetown exploded into a shouting match last week when Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent threatened to physically attack Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte, warning, “I’m gonna punch you in your f—ing face.”
The tense clash popped off Wednesday night at the Executive Branch, a private club in Washington co-owned by Republican megadonor Omeed Malik. The dinner doubled as a birthday party for venture capitalist Chamath Palihapitiya, host of the conservative “All-In” podcast.
Roughly 30 Cabinet officials were in attendance, including Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard, and Medicare and Medicaid chief Mehmet Oz.
Bessent didn’t come to celebrate.
Witnesses told Politico that during the cocktail hour, Bessent walked up to Pulte breathing fire and accused him of backstabbing. “Why the f— are you talking to the president about me? F— you,” he said. “I’m gonna punch you in your f—ing face.”
Bessent then told Malik, “It’s either me or him. You tell me who’s getting the f— out of here.” He followed up with another challenge directed at Pulte: “We could go outside.”
When Pulte asked if the two could “talk,” Bessent snapped back, “No. I’m going to f—ing beat your a–.”
Malik intervened to break it up, according to Politico. Both men later sat at opposite ends of the dinner table as the party continued without further incident.
Accounts differ on whether Bessent or Pulte initiated the confrontation, but the episode underscored simmering tensions between two of Trump’s top economic appointees.
In May, Trump had tasked Bessent, Pulte, and Commerce Secretary Lutnick with developing a plan to privatize Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the mortgage-finance giants that back trillions in U.S. home loans.
According to four Trump insiders who spoke with Politico, Pulte has assumed a more aggressive role in shaping the initiative in recent weeks, sparking friction with Bessent.
The two men have also disagreed on broader economic issues. Pulte has drawn notice for firing more than 100 staffers at Fannie and Freddie and for initiating investigations into Trump political enemies, while Bessent has sought to act as a stabilizing influence in the White House.
It was Pulte who issued a criminal referral last month accusing Federal Reserve Board of Governors member Lisa Cook of mortgage fraud — claiming she listed two separate homes as her primary residence — as a cover for Trump to attempt to fire her.
Neither Bessent, Pulte, Malik, nor the White House commented on the alleged dinner incident.
The Georgetown dinner fracas is not the first time Bessent’s temper has allegedly erupted.
In April, he was involved in a West Wing shouting match with tech billionaire Elon Musk, then head of the Department of Government Efficiency, over who should select the new IRS commissioner.
Witnesses said Bessent screamed “F— you! F— you! F— you!” at Musk within earshot of Trump. Musk, for his part, called Bessent a “total fraud.”
According to Steve Bannon, Musk then rammed his shoulder into Bessent “like a rugby player,” prompting others to get between them. Musk later appeared in the Oval Office sporting a black eye on his final day leading the DOGE unit.
Asked about it by reporters, Musk claimed the injury came from his 5-year-old son. “I was just horsing around with Lil’ X. And I said, ‘Go ahead, punch me in the face.’ And he did,” Musk joked. “Turns out, even a 5-year-old punching you in the face actually [leaves a mark].”
In August, Bessent flatly denied responsibility, telling Bloomberg: “I can 100 percent say I did not give him the black eye.”
The Treasury Department and Musk’s representatives did not immediately respond to requests for comment.