Politico: US Treasury secretary threatens to punch political rival at private dinner

A private dinner attended by senior officials and advisers to  US President Donald Trump was briefly disrupted on September 3 when Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte engaged in a heated confrontation.

According to several people familiar with the incident, Bessent accused Pulte of speaking negatively about him to Trump and threatened him with physical violence, saying he was going to punch top the housing finance official “in the f***** face," Caliber.Az reports, citing Politico.

The clash took place during the inaugural dinner of Executive Branch, a new private Georgetown club, and also doubled as a birthday celebration for entrepreneur Chamath Palihapitiya. Witnesses said the two men had to be separated, and they were later seated at opposite ends of the dinner table to prevent further escalation.

Trump has tasked Bessent, Pulte, and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick with developing a plan to privatise US mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. However, insiders say Bessent and Pulte have been locked in a turf battle over authority on housing finance issues, with disagreements spilling into other economic policy matters.

Their divide also extends to monetary policy. Bessent has warned against removing Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, while Pulte has urged Trump to oust him, even drafting a dismissal letter earlier this year.

The September incident follows an earlier altercation in April, when Bessent reportedly clashed with Elon Musk over an IRS appointment.

By Sabina Mammadli