"F*ck you!" - "Say it louder" Escalation in the White House - Musk and Trump ministers shout at each other
There was a scandal in the White House: Elon Musk and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent clashed in a heated argument - loudly, abusively and directly in front of President Trump.
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- Elon Musk and Scott Bessent got into a heated argument in the White House.
- The trigger was a power struggle over the management of the IRS.
- One day after the incident, Bessent prevailed - but the conflict is likely to smoulder on.
What happened in the White House last week sounds like a scene from a political satire - but it was bitter reality. Elon Musk, tech titan and self-proclaimed reformer of the US administration, engaged in a vociferous war of words with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent that escalated in the West Wing hallway of the White House - just a few feet away from President Donald Trump and other top officials.
Two eyewitnesses and three informed sources told "Axios" of a "WWE moment in the middle of America's center of power": Musk and Bessent, both billionaire men, clashed violently.
The dispute was apparently about the management of the US tax authority, the IRS. The exchange of words was so heated that an employee had to intervene. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who was visiting the country that day, was also able to hear the whole thing.
"F*ck you!" - "Say it louder"
The conflict had already come to a head days earlier. On April 16, Trump had surprisingly named Gary Shapley, Musk's favorite, as acting IRS chief. Bessent, on the other hand, had earmarked Michael Faulkender, his deputy, for the post - and felt betrayed by Musk.
When the two finally met in the White House, not only did the sparks fly, but the two also threw curse words at each other. Bessent accused Musk of having promised budget cuts under the Doge project but not delivering.
Musk countered with personal attacks: He called Bessent a "Soros agent" and spoke of a "failed hedge fund". The fact that Bessent had publicly praised Musk's innovative drive and doge in the past no longer mattered at that moment.
What followed was a verbal showdown that was remarkable even for the Trump team. One witness describes: "It was loud. And I mean really loud." Another: "They got into it like two teenagers in a school playground." The finance minister also shouted "F*ck you". Musk's response: "Say it louder!"
Mudslinging continues
The mudslinging continued digitally in the evening. Trump loyalist Laura Loomer criticized Bessent on X because he had admitted an alleged Trump opponent to the financial event at the ministry. Musk immediately jumped up - and commented with a simple but meaningful: "Troubling."
But just one day later, the tide turned: TheNew York Timesreported that Shapley had been removed and Faulkender appointed. So Bessent had prevailed - at least for the time being.
One insider commented dryly: "Scott won this round. But I wouldn't want Elon Musk as an enemy." The insider further commented to "Axios": "One thing is certain: the last word in this power game is far from being spoken - and Washington is eagerly awaiting the next act."
