Jake Paul at Jake Paul vs. Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. Press Conference held at the Avalon in Hollywood, USA on May 14, 2025. (Photo credit: Tinseltown / Shutterstock)
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent spent part of his Friday hosting YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul at the Treasury Department, and the internet responded with a mixture of disbelief and mockery.
"Great to welcome @jakepaul to the Treasury Department today," Bessent posted on X. "Jake's path from content creator to entrepreneur and professional boxer is a distinctly American story."
The post drew immediate derision from finance-world commentators and ordinary users alike, many of whom questioned why the nation's top economic official was making time for an influencer as Americans face surging energy costs and a deteriorating farm economy.
"REALLY glad to see Bessent is focusing his time well on Operation Economic Outcast by spending time with… Jake Paul?" wrote finance commentator Brett Erickson, referring to the sweeping sanctions campaign against Iran that Bessent unveiled last month and compared to D-Day.
Liz Franczak simply repeated the secretary's own words back at him: "great to welcome Jake Paul to the Treasury Department today."
Others tied the meeting directly to conditions on the ground.
"Get me out of this timeline. Just utterly ridiculous," wrote a user posting as GenZGirl. "Our farmers and ranchers are hurting, diesel is $7 and running out in other places. But yes, meeting w Jake Paul will definitely fix the economy."
The finance commentator known as Dr. Parik Patel offered a mocking headline: "Jake Paul announces that he will challenge the 10Y treasury yield to a charity boxing match on November 11th in an effort to get it below 4%." The 10-year yield climbed above 5 percent this week, its highest level since 2007.
Commentator William Coffin lamented, "We'll never live this s--- down..."
YouTuber Eric Hovagim joked, "oh yeah there’s no more oil."
The visit comes at an awkward moment for the secretary, with CNN reporting this week that his surprise intervention to triple Treasury buybacks has failed to bring borrowing costs down. Bessent has also drawn sustained criticism over his attacks on the Federal Reserve's independence. Meanwhile, energy prices keep climbing as the war with Iran creates chaos in the global shipping industry.