These People Deserve Each Other
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent got into a heated confrontation with Federal Housing Finance Agency chief Bill Pulte last week at the Executive Branch, the MAGA-chic private club in D.C., Politico reports.
Bessent accused Pulte, the MAGA influencer ginning up mortgage fraud claims against Trump foes, of bad-mouthing him to Trump, leading to this diatribe from the sitting Treasury secretary: “Why the fuck are you talking to the president about me? Fuck you. I’m gonna punch you in your fucking face.”
Co-owner Omeed Malik attempted to intervene in the confrontation, prompting this memorable exchange:
“It’s either me or him,” Bessent said to Malik. “You tell me who’s getting the fuck out of here.”
“Or,” he added, “we could go outside.”
“To do what?” asked Pulte. “To talk?”
“No,” Bessent replied. “I’m going to fucking beat your ass.”
Even Trump-world insiders described the scene to Politico as “bonkers” and “unhinged.”
No need to mention this is conduct wholly unbecoming to a person of his stature.
The Trump administration is going mask off in so many ways that have nothing to do with racism. Though that too.
This is connected to all the formal groveling sessions where Trump’s minions or big tech CEOs take turns thanking Trump for existing and for being the incredible awesome masculine big-handed alpha male America needs. And this is banana republic dictator shit, sure. But it’s also how billionaires act towards their employees and subordinates.
All of them.
What Donald Trump is doing in public is no different from what Zuck and Musk and Bezos and all their ilk do in private with their lower caste servants and sycophants.
Demand flattery, hold court and let their courtiers line up to praise them, because they don’t understand the difference between flattery and respect. Reward obedience and punish disobedience, because they don’t know the difference between obedience and loyalty. And wield your power blatantly and without subtlety, suck up to your superiors and bully your inferiors into obedience, because they don’t know the difference between strength and authority.
Trump does this shit in public because he doesn’t believe Americans care about equality anymore. He thinks Americans want to be led by a powerful alpha male leader who demands public displays of submission and gets them. He thinks America doesn’t want a President, first among equals, but a King, who stands above his subjects. And, unfortunately, I don’t think he’s wrong.
And the King is pleased - pleased - when their subordinates come to literal physical blows over access to the King. Because such men confuse aggression with strength, just as they confuse flattery with respect.
Two of Trump’s courtiers were so desperate for his approval that they almost came to blows over it. These are two men so manly that they are willing to physically fight other men who disrespect them - which makes them two alpha males, as conservative minds see it - and these two alpha males respect Trump so much that they’re willing to physically fight for Trump’s attention.
In the mind of Trump and those like him, this is one of the greatest compliments he can receive.
It’s great to know that all these groveling pieces of shit will be around long after the orange turd dies of hamberder overdose. And they can live the rest of their miserable lives with the orange stamp on their forehead. No one’s going to forget their pathetic and sycophantic behavior during this horrible time.