‘You’re an Arsonist!’ Scott Bessent and Democrat Throw Terrible Polls in Each Other’s Faces During Heated Hearing Brawl

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-PA) threw bad polling at one another during a heated hearing brawl over the state of the economy on Thursday.

At the hearing, Boyle pressed Bessent on the economy and consumer sentiment and grew frustrated when Bessent took a dig at former President Joe Biden.

“Oh my God. I wish I had a dollar for every time you or on someone on the Republican side brought up Biden’s name. If I did I might have as much money as you have, Mr. Secretary,” Boyle said.

As Boyle pressed Bessent over falling approval ratings for the president on the economy, Bessent threw Congress’s low approval rating back at him.

“The Democratic House has a 17% approval rating. Are they right or wrong?” Bessent asked.

“No, I understand why you don’t want to answer the question,” Boyle said.

After a back-and-forth about polling data, the two got heated over the continued inflation and rising fuel costs and Bessent eventually dismissed the Democrat as an “arsonist.”

Boyle said:

[Trump] promised the American people, and I quote, I will lower costs on day one. Well, Mr. Secretary, as it turns out today is exactly day 500 of this administration and costs aren’t any lower. They are higher than ever before. Inflation is rising, gas prices are surging, consumer confidence again has collapsed, and healthcare costs are going up thanks to the bill that you helped pass over a year ago. Why won’t you just admit that this has been a failed presidency? Because the first step to turning this around would be admitting the problem.

“2.6% GDP growth, exceptional job growth in the private, that’s the average since President Trump came into office, real wage increases every month except for April. So if you—” Bessent began as Boyle jumped back in.

“Once again, inflation is eating away at the pocketbooks of the American people,” Boyle said.

“I’m not going to discuss firefighting with an arsonist! You’re an arsonist!” Bessent responded.

Check out the full exchange below:

BRENDAN BOYLE: I can settle how the American people are feeling about this economy because I have the data on it right here from Fox News just the other week. On the president and this administration’s handling of the economy, 71% of the American people disapprove, including 40% of Republicans. On the president’s handling of inflation, 72% disapprove. They disapprove in fact by a three-to-one margin over approval. So, do you agree with the American people or are they just wrong?

SCOTT BESSENT: Look, the American people were torched under the Biden administration.

BOYLE: Oh my god. I wish I had a dollar for every time you or on someone on the Republican side brought up Biden’s name. If I did I might have as much money as you have, Mr. Secretary.

BESSENT: You would have lost 22% of your purchasing power because that’s what happened.

BOYLE: So the American people are wrong? The fact that by a three-to-one margin, they disapprove of this president and your performance on the economy. They’re wrong?

BESSENT: The Democratic House has a 17% approval rating. Are they right or wrong?

BOYLE: No, I understand why you don’t want to answer the question. So let me, oh I forgot to mention, reclaiming my time, I forgot to mention consumer sentiment is at an all-time low. So the numbers on the approval rating of this president on the economy are the lowest since the Great Recession. But in terms of consumer sentiment, which actually does measure whether or not people are optimistic about their future, the lowest in the history of a poll that dates back to 1952.

BESSENT: Well, let’s look at the underlying data. Two-thirds of those are Democrats.

BOYLE: Two-thirds, excuse me, two thirds of those polls — so Fox News, The Economist, all the polls are wrong?

BESSENT: You’re citing the University of Michigan.

BOYLE: There have been other surveys as well, but [yes] the Michigan survey.

BESSENT: The Democrats who listen to this kind of twaddle, they vote in single digits, teens, whatever, Republicans, they vote much higher.

BOYLE: I don’t even know what you’re saying, Mr. Secretary.

BESSENT: I don’t think you know what you’re saying.

BOYLE: I’m citing the facts. Those are the facts that you have a problem with, Mr. Secretary.

BESSENT: I’m citing data.

BOYLE: Well, let me just turn, since I only have two minutes left, let me turn to this. I think it’s unquestioned fact that in the 2024 election, President Trump, in my home state, the commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and throughout the country, especially those seven big battleground states, he promised the American people, and I quote, I will lower costs on day one. Well, Mr. Secretary, as it turns out today is exactly day 500 of this administration and costs aren’t any lower. They are higher than ever before. Inflation is rising, gas prices are surging, consumer confidence again has collapsed, and healthcare costs are going up thanks to the bill that you helped pass over a year ago. Why won’t you just admit that this has been a failed presidency? Because the first step to turning this around would be admitting the problem.

BESSENT: 2.6% GDP growth, exceptional job growth in the private, that’s the average since President Trump came into office, real wage increases every month except for April. So if you—

BOYLE: Once again, inflation is eating away at the pocketbooks of the American people.

BESSENT: I’m not going to discuss firefighting with an arsonist! You’re an arsonist!

BOYLE: I can tell you this, in the 30 seconds, reclaiming my time, in 30 seconds I have left, when I was back home in Northeast Philly a couple days ago and at a gas station, people were paying over $4.50 a gallon. They were feeling a lot of things, a lot emotions. I guarantee you, optimism wasn’t one of them.

Watch above via CSPAN.

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