Scott Bessent Just Shut Down a RINO Senator Trying to Torpedo Trump’s Pulte Nomination With a Perfect Response

Thom Tillis skipped the SAVE America Act vote and announced his retirement after Trump threatened to primary him.

Wednesday, he sat across from Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and tried one more time.

What Bessent said back stopped the hearing cold.

The Bessent and Pulte Fight That Nearly Turned Physical at a 2025 Dinner

Sen. Tillis asked Bessent under oath whether he really threatened to punch Bill Pulte in the face during a 2025 administration dinner.

"No sir," Bessent replied with a smile. "I actually said I was going to kick his ass."

The room erupted. Tillis didn't get the scandal he came for.

He got something better. Or worse, depending on which side you're on.

"Good," Tillis said. "I share the emotion. Thank you."

The story behind the hearing moment dates to the summer of 2025.

Bessent – Trump's Treasury Secretary and one of the sharpest minds in the administration – learned that Bill Pulte had been badmouthing him to the president.

Pulte ran the Federal Housing Finance Agency, overseeing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

The two men had overlapping portfolios and competing visions for the Federal Reserve.

When Bessent found out Pulte was going behind his back, he confronted him directly at a private dinner with senior administration officials.

"Why the f*** are you talking to the president about me?" Bessent told Pulte. "F*** you. I'm gonna punch you in your f***ing face."

Financier Omeed Malik had to step in and separate the two men before things escalated further.

Politico broke the story that fall. On Wednesday, under Senate questioning, Bessent made it work for him.

"Many teams have fights in the locker room and then go out and win for the team on the field," he told the committee.

Why Thom Tillis Opposes Bill Pulte for DNI

Tillis had his reasons for asking.

Trump just named Pulte acting Director of National Intelligence – a stunning leap from housing regulator to spy chief.

Pulte had zero background in national security before the appointment.

What he did have was a track record of weaponizing the FHFA against Trump's political enemies – firing off criminal referrals targeting New York AG Letitia James, Sen. Adam Schiff, and former Rep. Eric Swalwell, among others.

Republicans balked.

Sen. Mitch McConnell said anyone in that role must have "extensive national security experience required by statute."

John Cornyn was blunter: "I see no evidence of any qualifications for that job."

Tillis made clear he won't support Pulte for DNI.

But the gotcha aimed at Bessent collapsed the moment Bessent refused to be embarrassed.

He had already addressed the episode publicly – joking on CNBC that "Treasury secretaries dating back to Alexander Hamilton have a history of dueling" – and moved on.

Wednesday was the same play, run again in public.

It didn't work twice either.

https://twitter.com/nicksortor/status/2062229062165156249“>https://twitter.com/nicksortor/status/2062229062165156249

Bessent vs Tillis at the Senate Finance Committee Hearing

Tillis came looking for a story about administration chaos.

Bessent gave him a story about a man who confronts people who go behind his back, laughs about it a year later, and still shows up to work.

The contrast matters.

Tillis spent two terms triangulating between Trump and the donor class, got censured by his own state party in 2023, blocked the Big Beautiful Bill, and ultimately quit rather than face a primary.

Bessent – when someone was working against him – walked across a room and said exactly what he meant.

No lawyers. No leaks. No carefully worded statements through spokespeople.

That's why the room laughed. That's why the clip went viral.

And that's why a sitting senator ended the exchange with: "Good. I share the emotion."

Washington is full of men who say the right things in public and stab each other in the back in private.

Bessent just reminded them what the other kind looks like.

Sources:

• Ashley DiMella, "Bessent Sets Record Straight on Trump Team Dinner Clash That Nearly Turned Into a Throwdown," Fox News, June 3, 2026.
• Steven Nelson and Josh Christenson, "Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent Threatens Housing Regulator Bill Pulte in Explosive Trump Admin Fight," New York Post, September 2025.
• Ryan Mancini, "Scott Bessent on Threat to Punch Bill Pulte: 'I Actually Said I Was Going to Kick His A–'," The Hill, June 3, 2026.
• Cami Mondeaux and Hanna Trudo, "Trump Says Bill Pulte Will Serve Only in an Acting Capacity as DNI," NBC News, June 4, 2026.
• Dan Gooding, "Trump Admin Tensions: Bessent Says He Told Pulte He'd 'Kick His A**'," Newsweek, June 3, 2026.