Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent downplayed his dispute with tech billionaire Elon Musk in a new interview, believing that the two men simply have different operating styles.
“We have differences, but we both want to get to the same location,” Bessent told the New York Post in her Pod Force One podcast. “We both want to eliminate waste, fraud and abuse in the administration.”
The Finance Minister compared his views of Musk to Silicon Valley’s “moving fast, breaking things” mindset with his own self-described method of intentional “repairing things”.
“I think Elon might be more like a Viking; I think I’m more like a Ninja,” Becent said.
After Musk had a dramatic and public influence with President Trump earlier this month, Ally Steve Bannon told The Post that Tesla CEO and President had a fierce exchange that led to a physical dispute that the White House denied.
“Look, everyone is very passionate about doing the best work for President Trump and the American people,” Bessent told Devine.
Bannon claims that the Treasury Secretary called Musk “total fraud”, a fierce confrontation about the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) efforts to cut government spending, and Best denied the measure – even South Carolinas apparently swept the South African-born Musk at a recent congressional hearing.
Best told lawmakers that he said “I will be the best South Africa in South Africa.”
In a new podcast interview, he gave a good review of Doge’s efforts.
“I think Doge is a spirit, and to some extent Elon has left the body, I think the spirit is there, and the momentum of what he does is growing over time,” Bessent said.
Musk introduced the committee’s recommendations from his duties at the end of May because his status as a special government employee failed. He opposed the president’s “big and beautiful” spending package, leading to a public quarrel between him and Trump.
The tech billionaire later expressed regret for him behind the back and forth, saying his comments “going far away.” Despite some of the suggestions from allies, Trump has shown no interest in reconciliation.