President-elect Donald Trump has selected Scott Bessent to serve as the 79th Treasury secretary in United States history. Bessent is a Wall Street executive who has praised Trump’s tariff agenda and advocated for making America great again and “Iran broke again.” He allegedly threatened to resign from his position at Soros Fund Management over its consideration of restricting investments in Israel, and he would be the first openly gay Treasury secretary. Just who is Scott Bessent, and what do the people who know him best say about him?

Bessent earned his bachelor’s degree in political science from Yale in 1984. During his senior year, he was president of Wolf’s Head Society, one of the Ivy League school’s premiere secret honor societies. Early in his career, he was hired as a research assistant for Jim Rogers, an investment manager who co-founded Quantum Fund with George Soros. In the decades since Bessent has established himself as a hedge fund manager.
Bessent’s nomination has drawn praise from across the political spectrum. Gavin Wax, president of the blossoming New York Young Republicans Club, described the money manager as “a fantastic pick that showcases the Republican Party has finally returned to its roots as a tariff party.” Vish Burra, a conservative influencer who worked for former Reps. Matt Gaetz and George Santos, similarly praised the pick as having “[an] ideological commitment to executing the America First agenda at the Treasury Department.”
Burra also praised Bessent’s competence as a businessman and said the skills he acquired are transferable to his new role. “Scott Bessent will provide President Trump a brilliant talent when it comes to operational capability handling money and markets,” Burra said.
Business leaders such as billionaire businessman John Catsimatidis, who founded the conglomerate Red Apple Group, offered high praise for Bessent. "I do like Scott Bessent's nomination for Treasury secretary. I have only met him a handful of times bu...