


The Trump administration suffered another phone messaging scandal when a photojournalist exposed communications between Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
Photojournalist Angelina Katsanis snapped a photo for the Associated Press last week, capturing Bessent from behind as he held out his phone at the United Nations General Assembly. The picture exposed his screen, where his text messages were open. A contact known as “BR,” widely understood to refer to Rollins, voiced alarm over the decision to bail out Argentina while it continues to sell soybeans to China at a favorable rate.
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“Just a heads up. I am getting more intel, but this is highly unfortunate. We bailed out Argentina yesterday and in return, Argentina removed their export tariffs on grains, reducing their price to China at a time when we would normally be selling to China,” the text message read.
“Soy prices are dropping further because of it. This gives China more leverage on us,” it continued. “On a plane but scott I can call you when I land.”
She linked to a post from user Ben Scholl’s X account, likely a recent post bemoaning the situation.
“China and Argentina work together for soybeans as Bessent offers to subsidize the Argentine economy. They think you are stupid,” the post read.
Scholl voiced surprise when informed of his post being shared among the key power players.
The image was quickly picked up by Argentinian media last week, but only gained widespread recognition in the United States this week.
Aside from the wider geopolitical ramifications of the leak, the incident marks another embarrassment for the administration along operational security lines. Though not nearly as severe, it spurs memories of the infamous Signalgate of earlier this year, when Atlantic editor Jonah Goldberg was accidentally added to a Signal chat with top administration officials as they discussed sensitive details regarding U.S. strikes against the Houthis.
Last week, Bessent said he was prepared to provide Argentina with a vital financial lifeline if needed, as the U.S. ally suffers from a market selloff.
“These options may include, but are not limited to, swap lines, direct currency purchases, and purchases of U.S. dollar-denominated government debt from Treasury’s Exchange Stabilization Fund,” Bessent said in a social media post. “Opportunities for private investment remain expansive, and Argentina will be Great Again.”
SCOTT BESSENT TO ‘DO WHAT IS NEEDED’ TO HELP ARGENTINA AS IT REELS UNDER LIBERTARIAN JAVIER MILEI
“We remain confident that President [Milei]’s support for fiscal discipline and pro-growth reforms are necessary to break Argentina’s long history of decline,” he added.
The possibility of a U.S. intervention has spurred controversy within Trumpworld, mostly seen among supporters who view it as conflicting with the president’s America First agenda. The leak of Rollins’s message shows that skepticism has reached the administration itself as well.