The world’s wealthiest man and the man tasked with keeping the world’s strongest economy on the rails amid President Donald Trump’s trade war got into what observers described as a professional wrestling-style shouting match over who would be placed in charge of the Internal Revenue Service last week.
According to Axios, the heated argument between Elon Musk and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent took place last Thursday after Musk made an end-run around the Treasury boss to have Trump install a former IRS agent who leaked details about former president Joe Biden’s son’s taxes atop the tax collecting agency as a temporary commissioner until Trump’s pick to lead it is confirmed by the Senate.
The dispute was prompted by Musk pushing to Trump appoint Gary Shapley, the anti-Biden whistleblower, on April 16.
Bessent, whose department encompasses the IRS, had wanted his deputy, Michael Faulkender, to be the acting commissioner pending confirmation of former Missouri congressman Billy Long to the role.
The argument blew up during a meeting between the two wealthy Trump officials in the West Wing, at which point “F bombs started to fly” as the normally mild-mannered Bessent aggressively confronted the Tesla and SpaceX CEO.
According to Axios, Bessent threw barbs at Musk regarding the lackluster nature of the alleged savings uncovered by his “Department of Government Efficiency” cost-cutting effort.
In response, Musk claimed the extremely successful investor who founded the Key Square Group investment fund after a stellar career with Soros Fund Management, was a “Soros agent” — a reference to a widespread antisemitic conspiracy theory which posits that investor and Democratic Party donor George Soros is a shadowy puppet master controlling much of the American political left.
The shouting between the two men became so heated that a White House aide reportedly had to separate them.
“They were not physical in the Oval, but the president saw it, and then they carried it down the hall, and that’s when they did it again,” said one witness who spoke to Axios.
Another said it was “quite a scene” and “loud,” while a third described the blow up as “two billionaire, middle-aged men thinking it was WWE in the hall of the West Wing,”
One source familiar with the dispute between Musk and Bessent told The Independent there is no love lost between the two men, dating back to when Musk unsuccessfully fought for Trump to appoint ex-Cantor Fitzgerald CEO Howard Lutnick to the Treasury role originated by Alexander Hamilton during the administration of George Washington.
Trump, who is a longtime friend of Lutnick, later appointed him to run the Department of Commerce after shrugging off Musk’s lobbying and choosing Bessent to run the Treasury Department.
An ally of the Treasury Secretary later told Axios that Bessent “can’t stand” Musk, who is expected to step back from his unpaid role atop DOGE after months of controversy, during which Tesla’s stock price and profitability have plummeted while the company’s CEO has been a constant presence at the president’s side, even traveling with Trump aboard Air Force One to his weekly getaways at his Mar-a-Lago residence.
“That goes pretty deep and pretty far back. But he’s acting like a grown-up about it,” they said.
The White House isn’t denying the blow-up occurred with Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt issuing a statement in which she said it was “no secret” that 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,” Leavitt added.
