US Treasury secretary threatened to punch official in his ‘f***ing face’ – media

Scott Bessent reportedly had a heated clash with housing regulator Bill Pulte at a private Trump-aligned dinner  

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent allegedly threatened to punch Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte “in the f***ing face” during a private dinner, according to media reports. The confrontation was reportedly defused by a club co-owner and ended with the two being seated apart.

The exchange allegedly took place last week at the Executive Branch club in Washington DC, a private club co-founded by Donald Trump Jr., during a dinner hosted for podcaster Chamath Palihapitiya’s birthday. Bessent reportedly launched a profanity-laced tirade at Pulte, who he believed was badmouthing him to US President Donald Trump.

The Treasury secretary allegedly shouted, “Why the f* are you talking to the president about me? F* you,” before threatening to “punch” Pulte in his “f***ing face,” media reported, citing eyewitness accounts.

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Omeed Malik, co-owner of the club, reportedly intervened to prevent further escalation. Malik separated the two men after Bessent told him, “It’s either me or him. You tell me who’s getting the f* out of here. Or we could go outside.” When Pulte asked, “To talk?” Bessent responded, “No, I’m going to f*ing beat your ass.” The two were then seated at opposite ends of the dinner table, the outlets said.

Sources familiar with the matter told Politico that the clash grew out of tensions between the two men over the privatization of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, projects that President Trump assigned them to manage in May.

Bessent and Pulte have also been on opposite sides of the debate over whether Trump should remove Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. According to earlier media reports, Bessent privately cautioned against such a move, warning it could destabilize financial markets, while Pulte has urged Powell to resign and drafted a suggested termination letter for Trump.

It is not the first reported confrontation involving Bessent. Earlier this year, he allegedly clashed with Elon Musk near the Oval Office, using profanities to accuse the tech billionaire of going behind his back in a dispute over the acting Internal Revenue Service (IRS) commissioner appointment.