Who is Scott Bessent?
In short
Scott Bessent is the 79th United States Secretary of the Treasury, a position he has held since 2025. He is currently in the news for clashing with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick over trade restrictions regarding Nvidia chips and the company Megaspeed.
Who they are now
He serves as the United States Secretary of the Treasury. He is also notable as the first openly gay person to lead the U.S. Treasury Department.
Why they are in the news
He is trending due to his public disagreement with Howard Lutnick over whether to blacklist Megaspeed and his firm response to recent death threats from Iran.
An example of their work
Before entering government, he founded the global macro trading firm Key Square Group. He also previously served as a partner at Soros Fund Management.