WWE in the West Wing: How Elon Musk got beaten up by a gay banker; during Pride Month | World News

Betteridge’s regulation of headlines states that any headline ending in a query mark will be answered with the phrase “no.” But that’s not the case right here. As far as studies—and phrase from the horse’s mouth are involved—it might seem that, during this Pride Month, Elon Musk, the richest man in the world, did lose at fisticuffs to Scott Bessent, an overtly gay member of the Trump cupboard.And it occurred in the West Wing—which is becoming, as a result of Donald Trump is the first WWE Hall of Famer to have served as President of the United States.

Musk, as soon as Trump’s strongest private-sector ally, had entered the Oval Office to foyer for his choose to go the IRS. Bessent, a Yale-educated hedge fund veteran and certainly one of the highest-ranking overtly gay officers in the Republican Party, had different plans. What started as a coverage disagreement spilled into the hallway. By the finish of it, Musk needed to be escorted out of the White House—visibly injured and politically diminished.

The IRS Faceoff That Sparked the Breakdown

The pressure had been constructing for months. In mid-April, Musk and Bessent met with President Trump to argue over who ought to develop into performing IRS Commissioner. Musk supported Gary Shapley, a former IRS investigator identified for his function in the Hunter Biden whistleblower case. Bessent pushed for Michael Faulkender, a MAGA-aligned economist with prior expertise at the Treasury.Trump in the end sided with Bessent.That single resolution triggered a fast unravelling. For Musk—who had spent months making an attempt to place himself as the federal authorities’s chief effectivity czar—being overruled on IRS management was a stinging blow. But the actual harm got here after the assembly.

Blow by Blow

After leaving the Oval Office, Musk and Bessent exchanged phrases in the hallway. According to a number of accounts relayed by Stephen Okay. Bannon, the former Trump adviser, Bessent accused Musk of failing to ship on his promise to uncover “more than $1 trillion” in authorities waste. “You’re a fraud. You’re a total fraud,” Bessent reportedly stated.Musk, livid, slammed his shoulder into Bessent’s rib cage “like a rugby player.” Bessent hit again. The conflict escalated till aides rushed in to separate the two, simply exterior the nationwide safety adviser’s workplace. Musk was then escorted out of the constructing. Trump, knowledgeable moments later, was overheard muttering, “This is too much.”Days later, Musk appeared at a press occasion with a black eye, which he claimed got here from “play-fighting with his son.” White House officers, nonetheless, made no effort to disclaim the hallway brawl.

Elon Musk sported a black eye at the Oval Office press meet and blamed his son X for it.

A Partnership Implodes

The combat marked the symbolic collapse of certainly one of the most unconventional political alliances in trendy American historical past. Musk, who had moved into the Lincoln Bedroom and assumed a main function in shaping Trump’s authorities reform agenda, rapidly fell from grace.His early strikes—together with a mass e-mail demanding that each one federal workers submit weekly “five accomplishments” studies—alienated companies and judges alike. His DOGE initiative (Department of Government Efficiency), which aimed to chop federal paperwork with AI audits and big layoffs, drew resistance from seasoned staffers and even MAGA loyalists.By April, Musk had develop into a lightning rod. Protesters exterior federal buildings held indicators studying, “No One Voted for Elon Musk.” Inside the White House, his affect waned. Bessent’s quiet however efficient resistance, grounded in finances self-discipline and political capital, started to prevail.

Pride, Power, and the Politics of Ego

That all this occurred simply weeks earlier than Pride Month lent the episode a layer of cultural symbolism.Bessent, lengthy revered for his financial acumen, had already damaged limitations as an overtly gay Republican in the highest echelons of economic policymaking. But the confrontation with Musk—and the undeniable fact that he walked away with Trump’s confidence and no public reprimand—cemented his function as a formidable energy participant in the second Trump administration.While Musk’s strategies relied on spectacle, Bessent operated by technique—and, in this case, private resolve.

The Fallout: Contracts, NASA, and the “America Party”

The West Wing brawl was only one rupture in a broader collapse. By May, Trump started actively distancing himself from Musk—questioning his drug use, threatening to evaluation federal contracts with Tesla and SpaceX, and yanking Jared Isaacman’s NASA nomination, which Musk had championed.Musk, in the meantime, lashed out on-line. He attacked Trump’s landmark tax and spending invoice and teased the launch of a third social gathering, calling it The America Party. He additionally doubled down on claims that Trump had ties to Jeffrey Epstein—a cost he has not substantiated.Trump responded with silence at first, then blunt disappointment. “I’m very disappointed in Elon,” he informed reporters. He reportedly informed aides he was contemplating promoting his Tesla Model S, which had been parked exterior the White House since March.

Final Thought

What began as a collaboration between two disruptors—one from politics, the different from tech—ended in recriminations, hallway brawls, and the publicity of vastly totally different worldviews. Musk got here to Washington to dismantle the system. He left having been outmanoeuvred, outpunched, and—fairly actually—proven the door.Scott Bessent didn’t tweet. He didn’t gloat. He simply walked away, nonetheless Treasury Secretary, together with his choose operating the IRS and his credibility enhanced.In Washington, energy isn’t measured in followers or inventory worth. It’s measured in who the President trusts when issues get messy. And during Pride Month 2025, amid a mess of egos, algorithms, and ambition, it was the gay banker who saved his footing—whereas Elon Musk misplaced his.