Trump’s Treasury Secretary Threatens to Punch Housing Official in the Face

Scott Bessent was fed up.

For weeks, the Treasury secretary believed that William J. Pulte, the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, was bad-mouthing him to President Trump.

And then, last Wednesday, the two men found each other face to face at the kickoff dinner for the Executive Branch, a members-only club in Georgetown started by the president’s eldest son and a few of his allies.

A back-and-forth by the bar ensued. Mr. Bessent demanded to know why Mr. Pulte was trash-talking him to the president, and then threatened to punch him in the face.

The dust-up, which ended without any punches thrown, was first reported by Politico and described to The New York Times by six people familiar with the matter.

The episode reflects the volatile personalities that often make up Mr. Trump’s orbit, including Mr. Bessent, who has become known in part for his hot temper. But it also shows how Mr. Trump’s closest advisers navigate their jobs while staying in favor with a president who demands total loyalty, surrounding himself with people willing to do nearly anything for his cause. People close to him say they are frustrated that the argument went public, as this kind of publicized backbiting had died down after the departure of Elon Musk from the administration.

Mr. Pulte has emerged on social media as one of the president’s fiercest defenders. Mr. Trump has come to “love” him, in the words of two of his advisers, for his willingness to try to seek out punishments for people the president sees as enemies, using mortgage fraud allegations as his weapon of choice.