Musk Called Treasury Secretary Bessent a 'Soros Agent' During White House Clash

Billionaire Elon Musk called Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent a "Soros agent" when the two clashed in the White House last week.

It is a new detail of the feud between the two top figures in the Trump administration. Bessent, in turn, criticized Musk for overpromising and under-delivering budget cuts with DOGE, Axios reported.

The outlet added that "F bombs started to fly" and that the argument heated up to a point where an aide had to step between the two and separate them.

The argument seemed to stem from who would lead the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Trump last Friday replaced Gary Shapley, the fourth IRS head this year, after Bessent complained that he was not consulted on the appointment, Politico reported last Friday. He also fired a member of Musk's DOGE team assigned to the office. Bessent reportedly told Trump he wanted someone he could trust to head the IRS.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt dismissed the episode, saying that "it's no secret President Trump has put together a team of people who are incredibly passionate about the issues impacting our country."

However, the incident marks yet another clash between Musk and top Trump officials. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Trade Adviser Peter Navarro are others who have been involved in such episodes, some behind closed doors and others out in the open.

Musk clashed publicly with Navarro, calling him "truly a moron" after the trade adviser accused him of protecting his interests when discussing tariffs. Musk made the comment responding to a publication on his social media platform, X, that showed an interview Navarro gave to CNBC. In it, the adviser said "we all understand in the White House, and the American people understand, that Elon is a car manufacturer. But he's not a car manufacturer, he's a car assembler.

Musk's ways have also irked officials, to the point of leaving rooms in exasperation. Such scenes are described in a Rolling Stone feature, which did a deep dive in Musk's behavior and his "staggering trail of destruction as Trump's DOGE chief."

The piece also delves into concerns from government officials about the possibility that Musk was on drugs during public appearances. It highlights his speech at the 2025 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in February, in which he waved around a chainsaw to show he would slash bureaucratic spending.