‘What’d You Do to Elon?’ Jesse Watters Asks Treasury Secretary About Profanity-Laden Tirade at Musk 

 

Fox News host Jesse Watters sought answers over a report that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent shouted down Elon Musk at the White House.

The Atlantic reported in May that Bessent and Musk had it out in the West Wing over who would get to choose the next commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service. As Treasury secretary, that responsibility fell to Bessent, but Musk, who was then the head of the now largely forgotten “Department of Government Efficiency,” insisted otherwise.

President Donald Trump made Musk a special government employee, and the billionaire CEO of Tesla quickly wore out his welcome among top administration officials.

“F*** you! F*** you! F*** you!” Bessent reportedly shouted at Musk.

“The fight had started outside the Oval Office; it continued past the Roosevelt Room and toward the chief of staff’s office, and then barreled around the corner to the national security adviser’s warren,” The Atlantic said at the time. “Musk accused Bessent of having run two failed hedge funds. ‘I can’t hear you,’ he told Bessent as they argued, their faces just inches apart. ‘Say it louder.'”

Appearing on Monday’s Jesse Watters Primetime, Bessent predicted “parallel prosperity” in 2026, whereby “Main Street can do well, Wall Street can do well.”

Watters then pivoted to Bessent’s blowout with Musk. The question was light-hearted, but the host nonetheless persisted for an answer:

WATTERS: All right, and if things don’t work out, you can always give people a little elbow. You have a big reputation. I mean, you walk around the White House and everybody moves back. What, you got into a beef with Musk? What’d you do to him?

BESSENT: Uh–

WATTERS: What’d you do to Elon?

BESSENT: Elon and I are both very passionate. I think that what he did with DOGE has set a very good trend in terms of cutting government expenses, that we were able to–

WATTERS: You didn’t grab Elon by the collar, did you? You would never do such a thing? The Secretary of Treasury!

BESSENT: Elon wears t-shirts, so there is no collar.

Watters cackled and bid adieu to his guest.

Bessent’s media interviews have been exercises in measured, if not languid, discussions about politics and policy. However, the secretary has gained a reputation as an occasional verbal brawler behind the scenes. In September, he reportedly got wind that Bill Pulte – the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency – was badmouthing him to Trump.

“Why the f*** are you talking to the president about me? F*** you,” Bessent told Pulte, witnesses to the alleged confrontation told Politico. “I’m gonna punch you in your f***ing face.”

Watch above via Fox News.

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!

Tags:

Mike is a Mediaite senior editor who covers the news in primetime. Follow him on Bluesky.