Musk Hit Bessent 'Like A Rugby Player' In White House Fight, Bannon Claims

Elon Musk and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent got into a fight in the West Wing hallway after a meeting with President Trump. The fight allegedly started when Bessent ridiculed Musk's claim to identify government waste, fraud, and abuse. Musk responded by slamming his shoulder into Bessent's, and Bessent retaliated before bystanders intervened to break up the fight. Trump heard about the incident and said it was "too much". The fight was just one of many manifestations of friction between Musk and others in the administration who resented his influence and approach. Musk's bypassing of cabinet members by issuing direct commands to federal employees also caused consternation. The Trump-Musk relationship started to deteriorate when Musk lashed out against Trump's cornerstone legislation, calling it a "disgusting abomination". Trump threatened to kill Musk's SpaceX and Starlink contracts, and Musk responded by announcing he was decommissioning SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft. The hostilities have eased, but it's unlikely the Trump-Musk relationship will be restored to what it was. Trump has no desire to patch things up, and assumes their relationship is over.