Musk and Bessant’s fight shocked Trump: “This is over the top!”

Another scandal has erupted in the US political scene. A heated argument broke out between billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant at the White House, which escalated into a physical altercation. This was reported by former Donald Trump adviser Steve Bannon.

According to Bannon, the incident took place in April 2024, on the way out of the Oval Office after a discussion. Bessant called Musk a "fraudster", after which Musk shouldered him. Bessant responded by moving against him. After the incident became heated, bystanders had to separate them.

"Musk was then removed from the West Wing of the White House," Bannon said. According to him, President Donald Trump was informed of the incident and called it "excessive."

The root of the scandal goes back to the appointment of the head of the US Internal Revenue Service. Musk focused on the nomination of Gary Shapley, while Bessent wanted to see Deputy Treasury Secretary Michael Faulkner. As a result, Musk bypassed Bessent in the process, angering him.

Musk announced his departure from government service in late May and criticized the new budget and tax reforms proposed by Donald Trump as "disgusting corruption."

A few days later, on June 5, their relationship became even more tense. Musk announced that Trump's name was in the so-called "Epstein Files." He also stated that without his support, Trump would not have won the election and that Republicans would not have gained a majority in Congress.

In response to these statements, Trump threatened to deprive Musk's companies of government subsidies.

Two days later, Musk deleted his post about the "Epstein Files." Trump responded to reporters by saying, “I’m not interested in him.” The Washington Post reported that Trump has urged those around him to “not add fuel to the fire,” and has advised Vice President J.D. Vance to be careful when speaking publicly about Musk.