Andrew, I was in the room, and I think that you've got to have some admiration for a candidate who ran a campaign the way he did. It was a great, great campaign. He is clearly the leader of the Democratic Party now. Praising Trump, he continued: And I think it speaks to how open-minded the president is, that he invited him into the Oval. Senator [Chuck] Schumer never endorsed him. I don't even know if he's met with him.
ABC News's Martha Raddatz asked Bessent Sunday about the plight of farmers facing Chinese boycotts on American soybeans due to President Donald Trump's tariffs. American farmers have really suffered, Raddatz said Sunday. Do you see a real light at the end of the tunnel there, they may allow soybeans again? Martha, in case you don't know it, I'm actually a soybean farmer, so I have felt this pain too, Bessent answered.
"I love Scott, but he wants to stay where he is," Trump said in an interview with CNBC, adding that Bessent was doing a great job and had told him as recently as Monday that he did not want the position.
The data shows that that's the result. The math shows that that is the result. No one on this side of the aisle admits anymore that they didn't blow a huge hole in deficit.
Unfortunately, you appear to be talking out of both sides of your mouth because you yourself have admitted, after conversations with Walmart, that some tariff costs are going to get passed on to consumers.
"This means that they're not negotiating in good faith," Bessent said, emphasizing the implications of Trump's tariff strategy on foreign nations engaged in trade talks.
"This is the first time we've met, is that correct?" she asked, attempting to make a point about Bessent not being responsive to the numerous requests she made to his office. "No ma'am, we actually met one New Year's Eve in the Bahamas," Bessent replied, drawing chuckles from the hearing room.
Bannon emphasized the importance of having a steady figure like Scott Bessent in the economic team, suggesting Lyutnik's approach would have led to disaster.
