Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s tendency to lash out at both senior advisers and junior staffers has reportedly led to unusually high turnover and tension within his department at a time when he has been tasked with solving a host of economic challenges.
Since Bessent was sworn in in late January 2025, dozens of officials have left the Treasury Department, including seven Senate-confirmed officials, the Wall Street Journal reports. Under Bessent, the IRS has also seen what the Journal describes as “historic” turnover, and the position of IRS Commissioner has been vacant since August 2025. Last October, Bessent installed ally Frank Bisignano as IRS CEO, a non-Senate-confirmed role he created.
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According to the Journal, Bessent’s behavior has been a key factor in the departure of multiple officials and has prevented recruits from pursuing jobs in his department.
“He’s a good person, but he’s got a tripwire and he’s got a temper,” former Trump White House chief strategist Steve Bannon told the outlet.
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Current and former Treasury Department officials told the Journal that the atmosphere at the agency is more intense than under previous administrations, with aides frequently attempting to gauge Bessent’s mood before interacting with him and reporting a sense of relief when the secretary is away. Sources say he has shouted at staff, and some recounted an incident last year when Bessent reportedly threw his daily briefing book at a wall in anger. Bessent denied the account.
Sources said Bessent would lash out at Dan Katz, his first chief of staff, in meetings. Katz left the Treasury Department last fall, and since then Bessent has had two other officials leave the role, which is now filled by Kate Tyrrell. Bessent is also said to have yelled profanities at the department’s then-undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, John Hurley, in front of aides during a January meeting. Hurley left the Senate-confirmed role after Bessent discussed finding him a job outside of the Treasury Department, the Journal reports.
Bessent has also reportedly clashed with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, got into a shouting match with Elon Musk in the West Wing during the early days of Trump’s second administration, and physically threatened Director of U.S. Federal Housing Bill Pulte at a September 2025 dinner.
Former Treasury officials told the Journal that Bessent has cultivated his “tough-guy image” and is amused by reports of his altercations with other Trump advisers. But he is also said to shout at his staff over negative media coverage and has blocked reporters from events and addresses.
Bessent’s alleged bullying isn’t limited to administration officials. After members of the feminist anti-war group CodePink confronted the secretary at a D.C. restaurant last December, Bessent reportedly “erupted” at the restaurant’s owner for not kicking the hecklers out and spit in his own food.
Former Treasury official Stephen Myrow told the Journal that people in the investment community had hoped Bessent would be “the adult in the room,” but are now “starting to see him as acting more and more like Trump…and that’s shaking confidence in him.”
One person whose confidence in Bessent has not been shaken is the president. Trump reportedly likes the Treasury Secretary’s tough-guy image and speaks with him nearly every day.
White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers told the paper that the “level of professionalism and accountability” Bessent has instilled in the Treasury Department “is one of the great accomplishments of this administration.”
As the Journal notes, the president has tasked Bessent with a wide-ranging portfolio including addressing high borrowing costs, inflation, mounting government debt, and a sanctions plan aimed at ending the war with Iran, along with addressing the impact artificial intelligence will have on the U.S. economy and trade talks with China. One senior administration official told the outlet that Bessent is responsible for enacting Trump’s entire economic policy agenda.
“Scott cannot fail,” they said.
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