Elon Musk physically confronted Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in the Oval Office after a heated clash over government spending, Steve Bannon has revealed, exposing deep fractures in Trump’s top team.
At a Glance
- Elon Musk and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent engaged in a physical altercation in the Oval Office
- Bessent confronted Musk over failing to deliver $1 trillion in budget cuts through the DOGE initiative
- Musk allegedly shoved Bessent and escalated the exchange beyond verbal disagreement
- President Trump reportedly sided with Bessent, leading to Musk’s departure as a special advisor
- White House has confirmed the incident, but only after Bannon’s public disclosure
From Words to Shoves in the West Wing
In a bombshell disclosure, Steve Bannon revealed that Elon Musk and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent came to physical blows inside the Oval Office, capping weeks of rising tensions over fiscal promises left unfulfilled. During a private meeting, Bessent accused Musk of falling drastically short of his $1 trillion cost-cutting pledge via the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
“You promised us a trillion dollars (in cuts), and now you’re at like $100 billion,” Bessent said, according to The Daily Beast. Musk, reportedly infuriated, responded with “I can’t hear you. Say it louder,” before shoving Bessent and triggering a melee one witness likened to “two billionaire middle-aged men thinking it was WWE in the West Wing.”
Watch a report: Elon Musk leaves White House position.
Fallout and Fractures in the Trump Camp
The confrontation marked Musk’s final day as Trump’s special advisor. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed the timeline but declined to elaborate on the incident’s specifics. According to Economic Times, the incident spilled beyond the Oval Office into adjacent halls, including near Chief of Staff Susie Wiles’ office.
President Trump ultimately backed Bessent, a move signaling deeper rifts with Musk, who had reportedly clashed with Trump over personnel decisions and policy optics in recent months. Bannon noted that the President’s patience with Musk had thinned, especially after controversies surrounding DOGE layoffs and strategic inconsistencies.
Substance, Secrets, and Musk’s Stumble
The Musk-Bessent brawl wasn’t the only dark cloud over Musk’s government role. A New York Times report detailed Musk’s alleged use of psychedelic substances like ketamine and ecstasy while on the campaign trail with Trump, raising alarms over his conduct in federal advisory positions.
In a moment of candid reflection, Musk later admitted feeling conflicted about his White House role. “I don’t wanna take responsibility for everything the administration’s doing,” he said. “So I’m, like, kinda stuck, you know?”
That tension now seems fully resolved—violently and visibly—with Musk out of Trump’s inner circle and DOGE under renewed scrutiny. As Washington absorbs the shock of this Oval Office altercation, the broader question remains: how sustainable are Trump’s unconventional alliances when personalities combust over policy?
