Scott Bessent is an American investor and government official, currently serving as the United States Secretary of the Treasury since 2025. Prior to his government role, he was a partner at Soros Fund Management. He also founded Key Square Group, a global macro investment firm, showcasing his entrepreneurial ventures in the financial sector.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent urges China to de-escalate trade tensions. Bessent doesn't support Trump's tariff approach. Trade partners resist as the Trump administration reinforces tariffs.
On August 21, 1962, Scott Kenneth Homer Bessent was born. He later became an investor, hedge fund manager, and the United States Secretary of the Treasury.
In 1984, Scott Bessent earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from Yale University. While in college, he was an editor of Yale Daily News, president of Wolf's Head Society, and treasurer for the class of 1984. He was also chairman of the 1984 Yale Alumni Fund and assistant to the director of athletics.
In 1984, Scott Bessent graduated from Yale University with a bachelor's degree and began a career in finance.
In 1991, Scott Bessent joined Soros Fund Management (SFM) and became a partner there throughout the 1990s, eventually becoming head of the London office.
In 1992, Scott Bessent was a leading member of the team at Soros Fund Management that profited over $1 billion from the Black Wednesday collapse of the British pound.
In 1992, as a leading member of Soros Fund Management, Bessent successfully bet on the sterling crisis, generating over $1 billion in profit for the firm.
In 2000, Bessent hosted a fundraiser for Al Gore at his East Hampton, New York, home.
In 2000, after resigning from Soros Fund Management (SFM), Scott Bessent founded a $1 billion hedge fund.
In 2005, the $1 billion hedge fund that Scott Bessent founded closed. Bessent learned that he should not change his style or the firm's approach because of investor preferences.
In 2006, Scott Bessent began working as an adjunct professor of economic history at Yale University, where he taught three courses.
In 2011, Bessent married former New York City prosecutor John Freeman.
In 2011, Scott Bessent concluded his time as an adjunct professor of economic history at Yale, where he had taught three courses.
In 2011, Scott Bessent returned to Soros Fund Management (SFM) as chief investment officer.
In 2013, Bessent's bet against the Japanese yen brought additional profit to Soros Fund Management.
In 2015, Scott Bessent established his own investment firm, Key Square Group, after leaving the Soros Fund.
In 2015, Scott Bessent left Soros Fund Management (SFM) to begin a new firm, Key Square Group.
In 2016, Key Square's main fund returns increased by 13%.
In 2016, Scott Bessent donated $1 million to Donald Trump's 2017 presidential inaugural committee.
In 2016, Scott Bessent purchased the historic John Ravenel House.
At the end of 2017, Key Square's assets were valued at $5.1 billion.
In 2017, Scott Bessent donated $1 million to Donald Trump's presidential inaugural committee in 2016.
In 2018, Key Square Group returned the capital investment from George Soros as part of a prearranged deal and took in other assets. Investors included Australia's sovereign wealth fund, Future Fund.
In 2021, Key Square made major gains after declining or breaking even every year from 2017 to 2021.
In 2021, the building restoration project of the John Ravenel House was awarded the Preservation Society of Charleston's Carolopolis Award.
In 2022, Key Square made major gains after declining or breaking even every year from 2017 to 2021.
In 2022, Scott Bessent opened two foundations and created the McLeod Rehabilitation Center at the Shriners Hospital for Children in Greenville, South Carolina. He also supports the Prince's Trust in London and the Harlem Children's Zone in New York City. He has supported restoration of the Nathaniel Russell House, a National Historic Landmark in Charleston.
In a 2022 article commemorating former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe, Bessent reflected on Trump's recognition of the dangers posed by China and Abe's development of a multilateral solution for containment.
In 2023, Key Square made major gains after declining or breaking even every year from 2017 to 2021.
In 2023, Scott Bessent donated more than $1 million to Donald Trump's 2024 presidential campaign.
In February 2024, Bessent hosted a fundraiser in Greenville, South Carolina, that raised nearly $7 million for Trump's 2024 campaign.
In April 2024, Scott Bessent hosted a Palm Beach, Florida, fundraiser that raised $50 million for Trump's campaign.
In July 2024, it was reported that Bessent was a key economic advisor to Trump, proposing a three-point economic plan modeled on Shinzo Abe's "Three Arrows" economic policy.
On October 11, 2024, Bessent described his plan on a broadcast on Bloomberg Radio.
In November 2024, Bessent was nominated for Treasury Secretary by Donald Trump.
In November 2024, Bessent's mansion, known as the "Pink Palace", was listed for $22,250,000.
In a November 2024 Fox News op-ed, Bessent argued that tariffs are a means to stand up for Americans against China's economic growth benefiting a despotic regime.
On November 22, 2024, President-elect Trump announced his intention to nominate Bessent to serve as the United States secretary of the treasury in his second administration. Bessent is the first openly gay treasury secretary, the second openly gay Senate-confirmed Cabinet secretary of an Executive Department after Pete Buttigieg.
As of December 10, 2024, the sale of Bessent's mansion was under contract.
According to his December 28, 2024, financial assets disclosure by the U.S. Office of Government Ethics, Bessent's net worth is at least $521 million.
In 2024, Scott Bessent donated more than $1 million to Donald Trump's 2024 presidential campaign.
In a 2024 interview in Barron's, Bessent proposed an alternative plan, dubbed the "shadow Fed chair", to any plan by Trump to replace Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell, which was "to nominate and seek Senate confirmation of Powell's replacement well over a year before Powell's term ends in May 2026".
On January 16, 2025, Scott Bessent appeared before the United States Senate Committee on Finance. During the hearing, he defended plans to impose tariffs, supported tax cut extensions, and called for tougher economic policies on China and Russia.
On January 21, 2025, the United States Senate Committee on Finance advanced Scott Bessent's nomination to the Senate floor by a 16–11 vote.
On January 27, 2025, Scott Bessent was confirmed as the United States Secretary of the Treasury by the United States Senate with a vote of 68-29.
On January 28, 2025, Scott Bessent was sworn in as the 79th secretary of the treasury by Supreme Court justice Brett Kavanaugh.
On February 3, 2025, Scott Bessent was named the acting director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and tasked with implementing a United States Sovereign Wealth Fund.
In March 2025, amid Trump's threats to impose tariffs on Canada and Mexico, Bessent defended the tariffs, saying, "Access to cheap goods is not the essence of the American Dream."
In April 2025, after Trump announced widespread tariffs, Secretary Bessent warned other countries against retaliating, stating that escalation would occur. He also dismissed concerns about a recession and the impact of stock fluctuations on retirement savings.
In 2025, Scott Bessent assumed the role of the 79th United States Secretary of the Treasury.
In a 2024 interview in Barron's, Bessent proposed an alternative plan, dubbed the "shadow Fed chair", to any plan by Trump to replace Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell, which was "to nominate and seek Senate confirmation of Powell's replacement well over a year before Powell's term ends in May 2026".
Fox News is an American multinational conservative news and political...
Donald John Trump is an American politician media personality and...
George Soros is a prominent American investor and philanthropist As...
News encompasses current events disseminated through various media including oral...
Jerome Powell is an American investment banker and lawyer currently...
Florida a southeastern U S state is a peninsula between...
40 minutes ago Yashasvi Jaiswal Surpasses Virat Kohli in Rare IPL Record, Displaying Exceptional Form.
40 minutes ago France mourns Muslim victim; Macron condemns hate after mosque attack in Italy.
41 minutes ago Dengue outbreak in Cook Islands prompts agency response and community clean-ups.
41 minutes ago DOGE orders AmeriCorps grant cancellation; Newsom threatens lawsuit. Impact, future and consequences are considered.
2 hours ago Illinois Tollway warns customers about phishing scams involving unpaid toll fees via text.
2 hours ago Gerry Connolly Announces Retirement, Cites Cancer and Oversight Role Transition After Many Years.
Pope Francis is the current head of the Catholic Church...
Cristiano Ronaldo often nicknamed CR is a highly decorated Portuguese...
Michael Jordan also known as MJ is an American businessman...
The Real ID Act of is a US federal law...
LeBron James nicknamed King James is a professional basketball player...
Donald John Trump is an American politician media personality and...