President Donald Trump has his Treasury secretary Scott Bessent "backed into a corner" and telling lies about the economy that make him intensely uncomfortable, according to MSNBC's Stephanie Ruhle.
Ruhle, a former Wall Street executive, told The Daily Beast podcast's Joanna Coles that Bessent often struggles to answer interviewers' questions because he's forced to "defend a position that’s not rooted in truth.”
“Scott Bessent deeply understands economics," which “is why this is so hard for him to justify all of it," she said.
Ruhle continued, “One of the reasons he struggles on television is because he’s not telling the truth, right? You and I both know being on television is really hard and we’re actually reporting the truth. We’re speaking facts.”
In a recent example, Bessent's trade war promises were mercilessly mocked online when he was interviewed by Fox News's Bill Hemmer about Trump's tariffs.
Bessent hasn't always been a MAGA devotee. According to The Daily Beast, the billionaire hedge fund manager donated to Al Gore's presidential run in 2000, and used to work for George Soros, "who personally donated $170 million to Democratic candidates and campaigns during the 2022 midterms."
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Coles asked, "But isn’t it also hard for Scott Bessent to go on television because it’s really about an audience of one, right? He’s sort of scrambling to obey his boss.”
“It’s extremely difficult for him,” Ruhle said, which is in stark contrast to Trump's Commerce secretary Howard Lutnick.
Ruhle called Lutnick the "middle guy" who is always “happy to put on the show and the performance because that’s what he’s always done."
But Bessent has a "stronger grasp on the economy" and knows deep down that Trump is “manufacturing lies.”
“Scott, in some ways, you know, is backed into a corner and he’s frustrated because how does he defend Trump’s position, or where does he go from here?” Ruhle said.
Read The Daily Beast article and listen to the podcast here.