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.
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.
