Elon Musk and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent got into a loud and heated confrontation in the West Wing last week, right in front of President Trump and several senior officials, according to two eyewitnesses and three individuals briefed on the encounter.
What began as a disagreement over IRS leadership quickly escalated into a shouting match. One witness described it as “two billionaire, middle-aged men thinking it was WWE in the West Wing,” noting that while Bessent isn’t technically a billionaire, the tension felt like a heavyweight brawl. Both men were in each other’s faces, exchanging verbal blows just outside the Oval Office and then again down the hall. It wasn’t physical, but it was loud enough that staffers and foreign dignitaries, including visiting Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, took notice.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt tried to downplay the drama, saying disagreements were part of any normal policy process, but the confrontation underscored deeper divisions brewing within the administration divisions that could end up hurting Trump politically.
The spat was the latest chapter in a simmering feud between Musk, the brash head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), and Bessent, Trump’s more traditional Treasury chief. Their personalities couldn’t be more different: Musk is impulsive and thrives in the spotlight, while Bessent is methodical and avoids public spectacle. Their clash has rattled others inside the administration, with one official saying, “Everyone thinks DOGE is great, but Elon’s antics are just a bit much.”
The bad blood goes back to the transition period, when Musk aggressively pushed for Howard Lutnick to lead Treasury. Trump instead chose Bessent, assigning Lutnick to Commerce. Since then, Musk and Bessent have clashed repeatedly particularly over staffing and who really calls the shots on economic policy.
Tensions boiled over after Trump appointed Gary Shapley Musk’s pick as acting IRS commissioner. Bessent wanted his own deputy, Michael Faulkender, in the role. When the move was made behind Bessent’s back, he confronted Musk directly. According to a source, “The F-bombs started to fly.” Bessent accused Musk of failing to deliver promised spending cuts through DOGE. Musk fired back, calling Bessent a “Soros agent” and mocking his hedge fund record.
The exchange got so intense that a White House aide physically stepped between them to prevent it from escalating further. Sources said Bessent shouted “F**k you” to Musk, who shot back, “Say it louder.” That evening, Laura Loomer, a Trump-aligned commentator, attacked Bessent on social media, and Musk joined in with a mocking response. But Bessent ultimately got the upper hand: by Friday, the White House replaced Shapley with Faulkender Bessent’s preferred pick.
The drama has cast an uncomfortable spotlight on the internal dysfunction in Trump’s administration. It also threatens to damage the president, who has relied heavily on both men. Musk’s growing conflicts with Trump’s senior team and now Bessent’s very public pushback are beginning to shake confidence among donors and allies.
There’s little indication either man plans to back down. One source close to the situation said bluntly, “Scott won that round. But I wouldn’t want a guy like Musk as an enemy.” For Trump, the fallout may be harder to contain than the fight itself.
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