Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent downplayed his reported feud with tech billionaire Elon Musk in a new interview, arguing that the two men merely have different operating styles.
“We have had disagreements, but we both want to get to the same place,” Bessent told New York Post columnist Miranda Devine in an episode of her “Pod Force One” podcast released Wednesday. “We both want to eliminate the waste, fraud and abuse in government.”
The Treasury secretary compared his view of Musk as embodying Silicon Valley’s “move fast, break things” mindset versus his own self-described deliberate “fix things” approach.
“I think Elon probably fancies himself more of a Viking; I think I’m more of a ninja,” Bessent said.
After Musk’s dramatic and public fallout with President Trump earlier this month, longtime Trump ally Steve Bannon told The Washington Post that the Tesla CEO and president had a heated exchange that led to a physical altercation, which the White House denied.
“Look, everybody’s very passionate about doing the best job for President Trump and the American people,” Bessent told Devine.
Bannon claimed that the Treasury chief called Musk “a total fraud” in a heated confrontation about the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) efforts to cut government spending, which Bessent also denied — even as the South Carolina native took an apparent swipe at South African-born Musk during a recent congressional hearing.
“I’ll take South Carolina over South Africa any day,” Bessent told lawmakers who prodded him about the reported clash.
He spoke favorably about DOGE’s efforts during the new podcast interview.
“I think of DOGE as an ethos and to the extent that Elon has departed physically, I think that ethos is there and the momentum for what he’s done yield bigger and bigger savings over time,” Bessent said.
Musk stepped down from his role advising the commission at the end of May, as his status as a special government employee lapsed. His opposition to the president’s “big, beautiful” spending package led to the public spat between him and Trump.
The tech billionaire later expressed regret for his part in the back-and-forth, saying his comments went “way to far.” Despite advice from some allies, Trump has not shown interest in reconciling.
