More Politicians Should Threaten Punches Like Scott Bessent

The Trump administration’s affinity for professional duking sessions is no secret. This week, however, the White House’s penchant for punching hit much closer to home after a cabinet member allegedly threatened to wallop one of his colleagues.

The reported exciting exchange, which occurred at an administration official-populated dinner at a local club, peaked when Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent allegedly threatened to punch Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte “in the f-cking face” over rumors that he was besmirching Bessent to President Donald Trump.

“Why the f-ck are you talking to the president about me? F-ck you,” Bessent reportedly said when confronting Pulte. “I’m gonna punch you in your f-cking face.”

When a club owner approached to evaluate the heated exchange, Bessent allegedly told him to choose “who’s getting the f-ck out of here.”

“It’s either me or him,” Bessent reportedly said. “Or, we could go outside.”

It doesn’t take a brain or even XY chromosomes to understand that when a man wants to take a tense conversation “outside,” he wants to do more than talk. Pulte, however, required clarification about the purpose of exiting the party.

“To do what? To talk?” Pulte allegedly asked.

“No, I’m going to f-cking beat your -ss,” Bessent reportedly confirmed.

Threatening to pummel someone at a seemingly classy event is certainly an unconventional way for a cabinet member to resolve a conflict, but could it be the solution we need to keep Washington working?

Politicians are notorious for winning elections on promises of lighting a fire under everyone and everything, only to stall out within months. This stagnancy only multiplies among unelected bureaucrats whose job protection does not rely on the Americans they claim (but often fail) to serve.

I’m not asking for another 1856-esque congressional caning or a fatal duel reminiscent of the one accepted by the nation’s first Treasury secretary, per se. It’s also important to note here that the threat Bessent posed to his fellow administration official is far from the mass violence Democrats routinely call for against their political enemies. I’m just saying there’s nothing wrong with some good old-fashioned conflict resolution.

A move away from passive-aggressive letter-writing and keyboard warrioring by our ruling class wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. In fact, it might teach some of the same politicians who hide behind staff-managed X accounts and manufactured jabs handed to corporate media as a comment to put their money and meathooks where their mouths are. It would also reduce the amount of lying, bluster, back-channeling, and just plain baloney the political class almost exclusively subsists on.

Sometimes problem-solving requires real friction that goes far beyond filibustering or faking it till you make it at every swanky DC get-together.

Let’s face it, a masculine brawl wouldn’t simply fast-track fights between bickering bureaucrats; it would also be entertainment. I would much prefer to watch a 63-year-old swing at a 37-year-old than be subjected to prolonged news cycles focused on catfights like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Jasmine Crockett’s obnoxious spat over “fake eyelashes” and a “bleach-blonde, bad-built, butch body.”

This is especially true if threatening a throwdown yields real results.

In Bessent’s case, upping the ante has historically served him well. When the Treasury secretary, whom corporate media routinely describe as “soft-spoken” and “mild-mannered,” went head-to-head earlier this year with Elon Musk over who should be acting commissioner of the IRS, Bessent’s reported pick eventually won out.

It’s unbecoming and frankly unhelpful for the men tasked with leading the country in one form or another to verbally sputter over their differences while Americans bear the brunt of the bad policies they are supposed to be fixing.

Overall, this country would be better off if politicians stopped pulling punches and instead started throwing them. If that takes a swift, literal kick to the pants by a colleague to keep bureaucrats on task and keep this country on the right track, so be it.

Jordan Boyd is a staff writer at The Federalist and producer of The Federalist Radio Hour. Her work has also been featured in The Daily Wire, Fox News, and RealClearPolitics. Jordan graduated from Baylor University where she majored in political science and minored in journalism. Follow her on X @jordanboydtx.