Gleeful Scott Bessent reveals his red-faced threat to Trump's polarizing Cabinet official

By CHASE HOPE, POLITICAL REPORTER FOR THE DAILY MAIL Published: 22:12, 3 June 2026 | Updated: 22:19, 3 June 2026 Donald Trump's Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent made headlines last fall after a report revealed a threat he lobbed against housing official Bill Pulte. A Senate budget hearing Wednesday gave Bessent an opportunity to clarify the precise warning he made. 'Did you tell Pulte you were gonna punch him in the face?' Senator Thom Tillis, an North Carolina Republican, asked Bessent. 'No sir,' Bessent answered with a grin. 'I actually said I was gonna kick his a**.' The glib answer came as GOP senators have openly expressed problems with Trump's recent elevation of Pulte to the position of acting Director of National Intelligence. Tulsi Gabbard, Trump's current DNI, announced her resignation on May 22, effective at the end of June. She cited a desire to be with her husband as he battles cancer. Tillis responded to Bessent by saying he shared his sentiment and would not support Pulte.  'Whoever told the president to go ahead and commit to [Pulte's appointment] publicly before vetting it should lose their jobs,' Tillis told CNBC this week. Scott Bessent reportedly has a history of conflict with other Trump allies Bill Pulte's recent appointment as acting DNI has sparked bipartisan controversy Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a South Dakota Republican, indicated that it would be difficult for the White House to get the Senate votes necessary to give Pulte long-term confirmation in the role. 'I see no evidence of any qualifications for that job,' Texas Senator John Cornyn told reporters of Pulte.  Hill Democrats have not hesitated to lambast the Pulte pick, with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer calling him a 'Trump political puppet' and a 'partisan thug.' Senator Elizabeth Warren lamented Pulte's lack of national security experience, asking sarcastically on X, 'What could go wrong?' In the same hearing Wednesday, Bessent also mocked Senator Ron Wyden over allegations that his son had ties to deceased pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. The Treasury Secretary has earned a fiery reputation for conflict with Trump officials and allies. The Daily Mail exclusively reported in April that Bessent got into a 'heated argument' with Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick last year, though representatives from both men denied the altercation. Howard Lutnick is one of the men Bessent has reportedly angrily argued with Bessent also found himself in an expletive-laden shouting match with Elon Musk in the White House last year, according to Axios, with one witness saying the men thought 'it was WWE in the hall of the West Wing.' The Daily Mail has reached out to Pulte for comment.  The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.