Scott Bessent’s journey from George Soros’s right-hand man to Donald Trump’s Treasury Secretary is one of the most dramatic political transformations in recent memory. For two decades, he was Soros’s chief investment officer and a reliable Democratic donor, writing checks to Gore, Obama, and Clinton. But after Trump’s 2016 victory—and as his own hedge fund collapsed from over $5 billion to just $577 million—Bessent suddenly became a MAGA convert, eventually landing the Treasury Secretary job as the first openly gay person in that role. His tenure has been marked by controversy: a messy confirmation involving tax issues, actual physical altercations with Elon Musk and other Trump allies, and policy disasters like an Argentina bailout that backfired spectacularly on American farmers. Critics see him as the ultimate opportunist who abandoned his principles, his community, and even his own values in a desperate bid to stay relevant and salvage his failing career.
Listen to this episode with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to The Powell House Press to listen to this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.
