Elon Musk and Scott Bessent Had to Be 'Physically Separated' During Heated Shouting Match at the White House: Sources (2025)

or

Sign in with lockrMail

BREAKING NEWS

Article continues below advertisement

Elon Musk and Scott Bessent Had to Be 'Physically Separated' During Heated Shouting Match at the White House: Sources (3)Politics

Elon Musk and Scott Bessent Had to Be 'Physically Separated' During Heated Shouting Match at the White House: Sources (4)

By:Joshua Wilburn

April 24 2025, Published 3:38 p.m. ET

Article continues below advertisement

Elon Musk and Scott Bessent Fight at The White House

Elon Musk and Scott Bessent Had to Be 'Physically Separated' During Heated Shouting Match at the White House: Sources (9)

Donald Trump's Department of Government Efficiency chief, Elon Musk, and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had to be physically separated in April when the two had a heated argument in the halls of the West Wing.

Their conversation about the IRS reportedly got so heated that the two men got in each other's faces within earshot of the Oval Office.

Article continues below advertisement

Elon Musk Fought Over the Temporary Commissioner of the IRS

One source with insider knowledge of the White House said, "Elon was shouting and rambling and Scott just wasn’t putting up with it."

The fight started after the Tesla billionaire pushed Trump to appoint Gary Shapley, the anti-Biden whistleblower, as a temporary commissioner until Trump’s pick to lead it is confirmed.

Bessent, whose department encompasses the IRS, had wanted his deputy, Michael Faulkender, to be the acting commissioner pending former Missouri congressman Billy Long's confirmation.

The fight between the two White House officials started during a meeting between the two wealthy Trump officials in the West Wing.

According to insiders, "F bombs started to fly" as Bessent blew up at the controversial SpaceX CEO.

Another witness claimed it was "quite a scene" and "loud," while a third described the situation as "two billionaire, middle-aged men thinking it was WWE in the hall of the West Wing."

Article continues below advertisement

Musk and Bessent Had to Be Separated

Elon Musk and Scott Bessent Had to Be 'Physically Separated' During Heated Shouting Match at the White House: Sources (11)

MORE ON:

Elon Musk

  • 'Embarrassing' Elon Musk Mocked for Wearing an Oversized Red MAGA Hat in the Oval Office: See the Silly Photo
  • Donald Trump and Elon Musk Claim the Media Is Trying to 'Drive' Them 'Apart': 'It's Just So Obvious'
  • President Donald Trump Claims He Couldn't 'Find Anyone Smarter' Than Elon Musk to Run DOGE: 'He's an Amazing Person'

Want OK! each day? Sign up here!

The shouting match between the two men escalated to the point where a White House aide reportedly had to "physically separate them."

One witness claimed, "They were not physical in the Oval, but the president saw it, and then they carried it down the hall, and that's when they did it again."

Another source who was there for the dispute between Musk and Bessent said “there is no love lost" between the two billionaires.

Article continues below advertisement

DOGE Was Caught in the Crosshairs

Elon Musk and Scott Bessent Had to Be 'Physically Separated' During Heated Shouting Match at the White House: Sources (12)

Bessent criticized Musk's lackluster performance with the Department of Government Efficiency's cost-cutting effort.

The South African billionaire claimed the hedge fund manager was a "Soros agent" — referencing a widespread antisemitic conspiracy about the Democratic Party being entirely funded and paid for by George Soros as a shadowy puppet master controlling the left.

Article continues below advertisement

Bessent 'Can’t Stand' Musk

Elon Musk and Scott Bessent Had to Be 'Physically Separated' During Heated Shouting Match at the White House: Sources (13)

A source from within the Treasury Department claimed Bessent "can’t stand" Musk, who is expected to step back from his unpaid role at the White House after months of controversy and bad press.

As OK! previously reported, Tesla’s stock price and profitability have plummeted while the company’s CEO has been spearheading DOGE in Washington, D.C.

"That goes pretty deep and pretty far back. But he's acting like a grown-up about it,” the insider told Axios.

Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said it was "no secret" that Trump "has put together a team of people who are incredibly passionate about the issues impacting our country."

"Disagreements are a normal part of any healthy policy process, and ultimately, everyone knows they serve at the pleasure of President Trump," Leavitt added.

More From OK! Magazine

    ${i.title}

    `;t.innerHTML=e;let n;function a(){let i=t.children[0],s=window.getComputedStyle(i),m=parseFloat(s["margin-left"]);m-=1,i.style.marginLeft=`${m}px`,m<=-i.offsetWidth&&(t.append(i),i.style.marginLeft=0),n=$(a),n||setTimeout(a,16)}function c(){let i=t.children[t.children.length-1],s=t.children[0];s.style.cssText=`margin-left: -${i.offsetWidth}px`,setTimeout(()=>{s.style.cssText="margin-left: 0; transition: margin 1000ms;"},0),setTimeout(()=>{s.style.cssText="margin-left:0"},1e3)}function l(){let i=t.children[0];i.style.cssText=`margin-left: -${i.offsetWidth}px; transition: margin 2000ms;`,setTimeout(()=>{i.style.cssText="margin: 0;",t.append(i)},2e3)}let h=document.getElementById("next"),k=w(()=>{u(n),l(),setTimeout(a,2e3)},3e3,!0);h?.addEventListener("click",k);let v=document.getElementById("previous"),x=w(()=>{u(n),c(),setTimeout(a,2e3)},3e3,!0);v?.addEventListener("click",x),t.addEventListener("mouseover",()=>{n&&u(n)}),t.addEventListener("mouseout",()=>{a()});let T=t.querySelectorAll("[data-article]");d(T),a()}N();})();//# sourceMappingURL=breaking_news_loader.js.map

    Elon Musk and Scott Bessent Had to Be 'Physically Separated' During Heated Shouting Match at the White House: Sources (2025)

    References

    Top Articles
    Latest Posts
    Recommended Articles
    Article information

    Author: Duncan Muller

    Last Updated:

    Views: 5799

    Rating: 4.9 / 5 (79 voted)

    Reviews: 94% of readers found this page helpful

    Author information

    Name: Duncan Muller

    Birthday: 1997-01-13

    Address: Apt. 505 914 Phillip Crossroad, O'Konborough, NV 62411

    Phone: +8555305800947

    Job: Construction Agent

    Hobby: Shopping, Table tennis, Snowboarding, Rafting, Motor sports, Homebrewing, Taxidermy

    Introduction: My name is Duncan Muller, I am a enchanting, good, gentle, modern, tasty, nice, elegant person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.