“Scott B.” He took Trump by surprise. He convinced him to change the course in the customs war
Scott Bessent is not looking for publicity. He patiently stood for almost 10 minutes behind the spokeswoman of the White House, Karoline Leavitt, while she talked about the achievements of Trump's administration in the first 100 days and waited for her to enter the podium. Still, he was conspicuous. Measuring 1.94 m tall, he donated over all those present.
If you believe the American secretary of the treasury, he not only physically has an advantage over others, but also substantively. While the world looks anxiously at Washington and wonders if Donald Trump's unpredictable customs policy will lead the global economy to fall, Scott Bessent presents itself as a pillar of stability.
When Donald Trump announced “Liberation Day” on April 2 and surprised the world with a huge package of duties, the mood of invited guests in the Rose White House garden was free. First of all, the vice president of JD Vance, secretary of defense Pete HegeSeth, a republican chairman of the Chamber of Representatives Mike Johnson – everyone with a smile.
The expression on the Bessent's face remained mostly serious. In fact, the Secretary of the US Treasury plays a secondary role in commercial policy. After all, in the American government there is not only the secretary of trade Howard Lutnick, but also Jamieson Greer, a special trade representative who even has the rank of a member of the office.
Bessent probably sensed, however, that the Wednesday announcement of Trump would cause panic on global financial markets. And that's how it happened. The next Sunday he flew to West Palm Beach to speak to Trump reason during a weekend golf game in MAR-A-Lago.
Markets will be even more crewing, and many Americans will lose their estates – the warning sounded. Trump must give the world a signal that he is ready to negotiate, suspending the duties.
“Silent killer” outsmarted the architect of the customs war
Bessent's intervention at first had no effect. Trump publicly confirmed that there would be no postponement. At this point, the president had another adviser in the handset: the main strategist of the White House of Peter Navarro. His passion for duties as a panacea for everything was documented in his book entitled “Death inflicted by China”.
In a guest article published in the Financial Times, the next Monday, Navarro explained that Trump's customs policy “is not a negotiating tactic.” The gray -haired professor of economics dreams of US isolation in trade policy.
The influence of Navarro on Trump was huge. As reported by “Wall Street Journal”, the 75-year-old on the days of the introduction of duties did not leave the west wing of the White House, so that he could immediately overthrow every argument against the tire presented to the president. As you know, the person who has recently talked to him has the greatest impact on Trump's actions.
On April 9, on the day the duties were to come into force, Bessent decided to outsmart Navarro. It was at that time, when Navarro had a meeting with Economic Advisor Kevin Hassettem, Bessent and the Secretary of Handlu Lutnik entered the White House and without the announcement entered the oval office.
Senior US President Advisor for Trade and Production Peter Navarro in front of the west wing of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, May 8, 2025.
The tactic of surprise worked. Shortly afterwards, Trump wrote on Truth Social that he suspended duties for 90 days to negotiate with different countries. The talks are to coordinate Bessent. Financial markets reacted with relief.
The secretary of the treasury, thanks to many years of experience at Wall Street, including several years of work as the manager of the property of the legendary investor George Soros, is considered reasonable. According to the American information portal, Axios, thanks to his skills on the stock market, he gained a reputation of the “silent killer”.
In January, the main “Zasadziadz” Elon Musk strongly criticized the Bessenta nomination for the Secretary of State. He wrote on X that he was “a candidate of continuing to date policy”, which “will lead America to bankrupt.”
The greatest hope for Europe and the negotiator with China
Bessent, however, turned out to be Europe's greatest hope for the mild ending of the trade war. It seems to be the driving force of the conclusion of trade agreements with other countries. On Saturday, May 10 he went to Switzerland to meet his Chinese counterpart.
The trade war with China got out of control. American duties on Chinese imports currently are 145 percent. On Friday, however, Trump suggested their reduction. “80 percent customs duties on China seems correct,” Truth Social wrote on his portal. Now everything depends on “Scott B.”.
For the Bessent himself Negotiations with Beijing They will be a decisive moment. He came to the fore in commercial issues and must now show that he can keep his word.
Last week, the 62-year-old still meticulously worked on his image of “an adult in peace” [odpowiedzialnej osoby]. During the Monday event in Los Angeles, he explained that the president's customs strategy should always be seen in the context of economic policy.
With the abolition of regulation and planned tax breaks, the United States will again become “attractive to investors”. Temporary problems are just “the sounds of working cylinders”, he wrote in a guest article in “Wall Street Journal”. “Americans will soon hear the roar of the engine.”
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent during a double -sided meeting between Switzerland and the United States in Geneva, Switzerland, May 9, 2025.
Also in the matter of war in Ukraine, Bessent appeared as a voice of reason, which is a ray of hope for Europe. When after the avantion in the oval office the contract regarding the raw materials temporarily fell apart, and Trump seemed completely to turn away from Kiev, Bessent continued his negotiations.
When the contract was concluded at the end of April, the US Secretary of the Treasury clearly defined his position. “The agreement shows Russian leaders that there is no room for any disagreement between the Ukrainian and American nation,” said Fox Business.
The agreement now guarantees that “no state that supported the Russian war machine will benefit from the reconstruction of Ukraine.” During Wednesday's hearing in the House of Representatives, he was asked if he considers Vladimir Putin as a war criminal. His answer was clear: “Yes”.
