President Donald Trump's two front-runners for Treasury secretary are engaged in what is reported to be a “knife fight,” but the president-elect, reportedly displeased with one of them, apparently The company reported that it is expanding its list of options. I will report it.
Howard Lutnick, the billionaire CEO of Wall Street giant Cantor Fitzgerald, is said to be the “main aggressor” in the nomination battle with former George Soros money manager Scott Bessent. According to the New York Times.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who has become a close ally of President Trump, expressed support for Lutnick over the weekend.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President Trump's nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services, also publicly supported Lutnick. Both Musk and RFK Jr. publicly endorsed the Long Island native after he appeared to be out of the running. According to the Wall Street Journal.
Musk, who owns the X social media platform, wrote that Bessent was a “business as usual choice” and that Lutnick “is going to make a real difference.”
“Something has to change because business as usual is leading America to bankruptcy,” Musk wrote.
After Musk posted the message on X, allies of Key Square Group founder Bessent arranged a phone conversation with the mogul on Saturday. According to Bloomberg News.
A source close to Trump told Bloomberg News that the president-elect is considering appointing Lutnick to the ambassador's post or other positions.
President Trump is scheduled to meet with Lutnick and Bessent later this week for further discussions.
Bessent last week praised the president-elect's economic policies, saying they would usher in a period of growth.
“Everyone asks me, 'What do you tell President Trump to do?'” You don't have to tell Donald Trump to do anything. He did it. We had a great economy under Trump 1.0,” Bessent said Thursday on Fox News Channel.
“We could have a golden age for the next four years under Donald Trump. We can take back manufacturing. We can take control of energy,” he added.
Meanwhile, President Trump is reportedly considering two new names for Treasury Secretary. Kevin Warsh, former Federal Reserve Board member, and Mark Rowan, Apollo co-founder and billionaire investor.
According to the newspaper, Rowan, who like President-elect Trump graduated from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania and is a major donor to President Trump, told Trump's aides that he would accept the offer to join the administration. It is said that it was shown.
The newspaper said President Trump told officials he wanted a “big name” to head the Treasury Department and envisioned someone with wealth and status on Wall Street taking the post.
President Trump has reportedly told those close to him that he is impressed with Rowan, while Warsh, who has been named as a possible successor to Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, is smart and He also tells others that he thinks he is handsome.
President Trump considered nominating Warsh to be Fed chair in 2017, but nominated Powell instead, a decision he later regretted.
The president-elect is reportedly interested in how Cabinet picks will affect the stock market. According to the newspaper, President Trump refused to nominate former trade adviser Robert Lighthizer to head the Treasury Department, fearing it would upset Wall Street.
Trump is said to be keen to hire a Treasury secretary who does not oppose his policies, something that President Steven Mnuchin often did during his first term, according to the Times.
Incoming White House press secretary Caroline Levitt told the Times: “President-elect Trump is deciding who will serve in his second administration. Those decisions will continue to be announced by him as they become available.”
The newspaper reached out to Lutnick, Warsh, Apollo and Bessent for comment.
President Trump has so far announced more than 10 cabinet nominees for secretary of defense, including former Fox News host Pete Hegseth.
He also nominated former Congressman Matt Gaetz, who has been accused of sexual misconduct and illegal drug use, to be attorney general.
