Steve Bannon reveals Elon Musk’s physical brawl with Scott Bessent escalated his White House departure
WASHINGTON, DC: Elon Musk's exit from his flagship Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and the White House was triggered by a series of knock-out events.
But, according to Steve Bannon, the tech billionaire's turbulent time in the White House was irrevocably harmed after he got into a physical brawl with Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent following a wild confrontation.
The former White House chief strategist recently told the Daily Mail that the Tesla founder shoved Bessent after being confronted over wild promises to save the administration "a trillion dollars."
The physical brawl between Elon Musk and Scott Bessent
The news of Elon Musk and Scott Bessent’s brawl first broke out in April, when sources revealed how the secretary of the treasury repeatedly shouted “F*** you!” at the business mogul during a nasty West Wing brawl that unfolded within earshot of President Donald Trump in the Oval Office.
In response to his profanity-laced outburst, Musk began to mock Bessent, calling him a "Soros agent" and accusing him of running "a failed hedge fund."
"Say it louder,” Musk further taunted Bessent amid his tirade, their faces just inches apart, according to The Atlantic. A witness also added that it was “two billionaires, middle-aged men thinking it was WWE in the hall of the West Wing.”
However, now, Bannon spilled that Musk not only dropped the f-bombs but also physically shoved Bessent. "Scott Bessent called him out and said, 'You promised us a trillion dollars (in cuts), and now you're at like $100 billion, and nobody can find anything, what are you doing?'' the prominent MAGA figure revealed.
"And that's when Elon got physical. It's a sore subject with him, It wasn't an argument; it was a physical confrontation. Elon basically shoved him," the 71-year-old added.
Bannon stated that the physical confrontation took place as the two billionaires walked from the Oval Office to outside Chief of Staff Susie Wiles' office, and then outside the office of the then-National Security Adviser Mike Waltz.
Bannon claimed that “Trump 100%” sided with Bessent after the clash. “I don't think Bessent has any bad blood, but he's got a job to do and he's going to do it,” he added.
The revelation of a confrontation between the pair was confirmed by White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, who claimed, “It's no secret President Trump has put together a team of people who are incredibly passionate about the issues impacting our country.”
“Disagreements are a normal part of any healthy policy process, and ultimately, everyone knows they serve at the pleasure of President Trump,” she added in her statement.
Elon Musk lost status in Donald Trump's orbit after drama over military briefings on China
Steve Bannon went on to say that Elon Musk also lost favor with Donald Trump when it was leaked to the New York Times in March that the billionaire was preparing to get top-secret military briefings on China, which the president abruptly halted.
Bannon stated that the escalating concerns with DOGE and the China briefings caused Musk to lose face in the White House.
“The president backed (Bessent) just like the president didn't allow the briefing on China,” Bannon clarified, adding, “People in the administration and the White House realized he didn't have any idea what he's doing. They cauterized the damage.”
Bannon claimed that the president's move to stop the Tesla CEO from receiving China briefings “made (Musk) recognize that Trump was going to back his cabinet.” “That's the inflection point, you see Elon all changed from that moment,” he added.
