Bessent called Lutnick ‘an idiot’ to his face: Book

Administration Bessent called Lutnick ‘an idiot’ to his face: Book Comments: by Tara Suter - 06/23/26 10:59 AM ET Comments: Link copied by Tara Suter - 06/23/26 10:59 AM ET Comments: Link copied

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Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent called Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick “an idiot” to his face over a minerals deal with Ukraine, according to a new book from two New York Times journalists.

During a Monday episode of MS NOW’s “The Last Word,” host Lawrence O’Donnell read off passages from “Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump” from Times journalists Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan. O’Donnell also had Swan and Haberman on his show, asking them questions about the book, which was released on Tuesday.

One of the passages that O’Donnell read off focused around a conflict between Lutnick and Bessent over a minerals deal with Ukraine. Bessent, according to the passage, was accused of having “screwed up” the deal by Lutnick and Bessent called a proposal from Lutnick “a s—ty deal,” and told the commerce secretary he was “an idiot.”

Bessent has had a few reported moments of high tension with fellow members of the administration, including acting Director of National Intelligence Bill Pulte and former Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) leader and tech billionaire Elon Musk.

Earlier this month, Bessent said he once told Pulte that he “was going to kick his a–.” The Treasury secretary made the remark as he was testifying before the Senate Finance Committee, when Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) asked if previous reporting that he said he would punch Pulte in the face was accurate.

“No sir, I actually said I was going to kick his a–,” the Treasury chief replied with a smile.

The Hill has reached out to the Treasury Department and Department of Commerce for comment.

O’Donnell’s reading of the passage was first highlighted by Mediaite.