Elon Musk and Treasury Secretary ‘had intense WWE-style shouting match in White House’
Elon Musk and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent reportedly had an intense shouting match in the White House after clashing over the Internal Revenue Service
The conflict between Bessent and Musk ignited on April 16, when Trump, siding with Musk’s recommendation, named Gary Shapley as acting commissioner of the IRS. (Image: AFP via Getty Images)
A heated exchange reminiscent of a “WWE” style shouting match took place in the White House on Thursday between tech billionaire Elon Musk and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, during a discussion about the Internal Revenue Service.
The incident, which occurred last Thursday, was confirmed by two witnesses and three sources who spoke to Axios. One witness likened the spectacle to “It was two billionaire, middle-aged men thinking it was WWE in the hall of the West Wing,”.
Musk, a close ally of U.S. President Donald Trump and head of the Department of Government Efficiency, has been known to stir controversy with his personality and approach since taking up his role. His department has notably reduced federal spending and implemented cuts to federal workers.
One witness told Axios, “Everyone thinks DOGE is great, but Elon’s antics are just a bit much,”.
The New York Times initially reported on the heated exchange, but Axios provided further details about the “chest-to-chest clash” between Musk and Bessent, reports the Mirror US.
The two men have contrasting personalities, and one witness revealed that “Scott can’t stand Musk.” (Image: AFP via Getty Images)
According to one witness, “They were not physical in the Oval, but the president saw it, and then they carried it down the hall, and that’s when they did it again,”.
Another witness described the scene as quite dramatic and very loud.
The two men have contrasting personalities, and one witness revealed that “Scott can’t stand Musk,” However, they added, “That goes pretty deep and pretty far back. But he’s acting like a grown-up about it,”.
The conflict between Bessent and Musk ignited on April 16, when Trump, siding with Musk’s recommendation, named Gary Shapley as acting commissioner of the IRS, bypassing Bessent’s preferred candidate, Deputy Treasury Secretary Michael Faulkender.
Feeling slighted, Bessent clashed with Musk at a Thursday meeting, taking aim at him for making excessively ambitious claims regarding the cryptocurrency DOGE.
