A couple of months ago, Donald Trump sat down with Fox News’ Lara Trump (his daughter-in-law) and reflected on one of the key differences between his first and second terms. “We have really good people this time, and they get along with each other,” the president said, adding, “They love each other … and it’s smoother. I think it’s smoother.”
Perhaps the Republican was confusing his team for some other administration — because there’s all kinds of evidence that contradicts the idea that prominent members of his team “get along with each other” and “love each other.” Politico reported:
A private dinner attended by dozens of administration officials and close advisers to President Donald Trump was temporarily marred by a dramatic clash between two of Trump’s top economic officials, with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent at one point threatening to punch top housing finance official Bill Pulte ‘in the f—ing face.’
Though the Politico report hasn’t been independently verified by MSNBC or NBC News, The New York Times published a similar report that highlighted some of the same details: According to the articles, both citing multiple sources, Bessent confronted Pulte with “an expletive-laden diatribe” at a gathering held at an exclusive club in Georgetown, with the secretary accusing the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency of bad-mouthing him to the president.
The incident did not escalate — Bessent and Pulte were apparently put at opposite ends of a long table and no fists were thrown — but the apparent threats, including a point in which the treasury secretary reportedly told the FHFA chief that he was “going to f—ing beat your ass,” did not go unnoticed.
One Trump insider told Politico the confrontation was “bonkers,” and another called the developments “unhinged.” (None of the relevant individuals commented on the record.)
I won’t pretend to know what might happen next between these two, but let’s not miss the forest for the trees: The conflicts among Trump administration officials are intensifying and working their way to the public.
In July, for example, NBC News reported that deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino was considering leaving his job after “a heated confrontation” with Attorney General Pam Bondi over how the Jeffrey Epstein case was being handled.
This came on the heels of reported tensions between Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Richard Grenell, the White House envoy for special missions. And those reports come on the heels of tensions between Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Those schisms came on the heels of Elon Musk and Bessent getting into a heated shouting match at the White House. Meanwhile, Bessent and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick have been at odds with White House trade adviser Peter Navarro; and Musk, during his tenure, also clashed with Navarro, Duffy and Rubio.
It led The Associated Press to report, “The infighting and backstabbing that plagued President Donald Trump’s first term have returned as a threat to his second, with deepening fissures over trade, national security and questions of personal loyalty.” That AP article was published in April. There’s reason to believe things have gotten worse. As we’ve discussed, throughout American history, there have been administrations with rival factions, but those divisions usually take time to develop. On Team Trump, the cracks are bursting into view less than eight months after Inauguration Day. In theory, a strong president could intervene, resolve differences, unite his or her own team and establish a clear vision for his or her administration to follow. In practice, however, Trump appears content to play the role of President Bystander, watching these divisions get even worse. This post updates our related earlier coverage.
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."
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