Talk:Scott Bessent

If you insist in mentioning that Scott Bessent is gay in the personal section, why do you mention that he is the highest ranking Cabinet official in American History last? Should that not be listed first? Isn't this article about Scott Bessent? Should not his ranking be more important than other's mentioned in this gay section?

This edit request by an editor with a conflict of interest has now been answered.

Hello, I work for Scott Bessent and would like to update his place of residence. The Personal life section states that Bessent resides in Manhattan, but this is no longer true - he now lives in Charleston, South Carolina, as is stated in this source. (The source is paywalled, so I have included the supporting quote from the source in the reference).^[1] I would appreciate if you would update the page accordingly.

Thank you for your help. MG for Scott Bessent (talk) 15:10, 23 October 2023 (UTC)

 Implemented Regards,  Spintendo  16:25, 23 October 2023 (UTC)

Is it really the best approach to spend so much of the article on this guy's sexual orientation? Hasn't it become tedious to define people by their gender, ethnicity, and so forth? Why not look to the person's merit in terms of the job? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 216.49.27.38 (talk) 00:08, 19 January 2025 (UTC)

Arguably, but it is notable that if he's confirmed he will be the first openly gay Secretary of the Treasury, making him the highest ranking openly gay official in the US Government. It's worth a mention at least. 2601:283:4E84:E4F0:A8CE:FAEF:18D8:9361 (talk) 16:39, 23 January 2025 (UTC)

It's not relevant. Putting importance on one's sexual preferences is a political issue and should not be in this article. 2601:602:9600:DA30:1129:23CB:51E5:FF83 (talk) 03:20, 3 April 2025 (UTC)

Is it worth mentioning? I don't know why we even need to know anything about anyone's sexuality. It should have no bearing on their capability. Let's get back to focusing on merit and let all of this nonsense go. 2002:2FC4:D4C2:0:A169:6149:FD85:A4C3 (talk) 22:33, 29 April 2025 (UTC)

Part of an edit requested by an editor with a conflict of interest has been implemented.

Hello, Scott Bessent appears in the news frequently due to his political opinions and donations. I'd like to suggest a number of updates to the article, perhaps under a "Political views" section, as follows:

Bessent has historically supported Republican candidates and causes.^[1]

In 2000, he hosted a fundraiser for Al Gore at his East Hampton, New York home.^[2] Since that time, records show that he has concentrated more than 98 percent of his political donations to Republican candidates and causes.^[1]

In 2016, he donated $1 million to President Donald Trump's inauguration.^[3]

He has been a supporter of South Carolina Senators Lindsey Graham and Tim Scott.^[1]

Bessent was an early supporter of the Donald Trump 2024 presidential campaign.^[4] In February 2024, he hosted a fundraiser in Greenville, South Carolina that raised nearly $7 million for Trump's 2024 campaign.^[5] In April 2024, Bessent was a host for a Palm Beach, Florida fundraiser that raised $50 million for the Trump campaign.^[6]

In July of 2024, Bloomberg Businessweek reported that Bessent was a key economic advisor to President Trump.^[7] He is reportedly a candidate for United States Secretary of the Treasury in a second Trump Administration.^[8]

In 2024, Bessent proposed a three-point economic plan for President Trump modeled on Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s “Three Arrows” economic policy, that would include 3% real economic growth, 3% budged deficit by the end of his first term, and 3 million more barrel-equivalents of energy production.^[9]

I would love some help adding this information to the page. Thank you! MG for Scott Bessent (talk) 14:09, 20 August 2024 (UTC)

Partly done: Adding what is notable. Likeanechointheforest (talk) 17:17, 9 September 2024 (UTC)

Thank you, Likeanechointheforest. I appreciate your help. MG for Scott Bessent (talk) 14:47, 11 September 2024 (UTC)

This edit request by an editor with a conflict of interest was declined.

After reviewing previous feedback, I've modified this request to focus on the key noteworthy information based on the sources:

• Please update the Politics section with the following:

In July of 2024, Bloomberg Businessweek reported that Bessent was a key economic advisor to President Trump.^[1] He is reportedly a candidate for United States Secretary of the Treasury in a second Trump Administration^[2], and proposed a three-point economic plan for Trump modeled on Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s “Three Arrows” economic policy.^[3]

• Please update the Board Memberships section to include:

In 2016, Bessent restored the historic Daniel Ravenel House and was later awarded the Preservation Society of Charleston's Carolopolis Award for the project.^[4][5][6] Bessent opened two foundations in 2022, and created the McLeod Rehabilitation Center at the Shriners Hospital for Children in Greenville, South Carolina.^[4][7] He also supports the Prince's Trust in London and the Harlem Children's Zone in New York City.^[4]

• Lastly, in the Personal life section, please add:

Bessent and his husband, John Freeman, have two children.^[7] Bessent is a friend of King Charles III and Queen Camilla of England.^[8] Queen Camilla stayed with him at his home in East Hampton, New York during her first ever visit to the United States,^[9] and Bessent has been a guest at Buckingham Palace.^[10]

Thank you, MG for Scott Bessent (talk) 16:45, 9 October 2024 (UTC)

Not done: Most of the material here seems overly promotional or non-encyclopaedic. For example, the proposed elements starting as follows:

"Bessent and his family donated..."

"He supports the Prince's Trust..."

"Bessent is a friend of King Charles III and Queen Camilla of England..."

"He serves as the treasurer of the Orville Gordon Browne Foundation..."

"The Preservation Society of Charleston awarded him a Carolopolis Award..." Axad12 (talk) 16:42, 8 October 2024 (UTC)

Thank you. I've taken the above feedback and modified my request. MG for Scott Bessent (talk) 16:42, 9 October 2024 (UTC)

An impartial editor has reviewed the proposed edit(s) and asked the editor with a conflict of interest to go ahead and make the suggested changes.

Hello, in light of some recent news articles written about Scott Bessent, I am suggesting the following updates to the article:

In the Career section:

In 1992, Bessent was a leading member of the team whose bet regarding the collapse of the British Pound garnered over $1billion for the firm. His bet against the Japanese yen in 2013 brought additional profit.^[1][2]

In the Key Square Group subsection: In 2015, Bessent founded Key Square, which uses geopolitics and economics to make macro investments.^[1]

In the Politics section: Bessent has donated over $15 million to Republican Party candidates.^[1]

Thank you, MG for Scott Bessent (talk) 17:33, 15 October 2024 (UTC)

Hi, any chance of a non paywalled source to replace source #1? Axad12 (talk) 08:01, 20 October 2024 (UTC)

Hi Axad12,

Thanks for taking a look at this request. The Financial Times source in the request contains similar information to the paywalled Wall Street Journal source. And here is the quote from the WSJ that supports the information:

“Bessent joined Soros Fund Management in 1991. He was one of the driving forces behind the firm’s enormous bet that the British pound would collapse after he spotted marked weakness in the U.K. housing market. The wager netted the firm more than $1 billion in 1992.

Bessent was Soros’s chief investment officer from 2011 to 2015 and ran the firm for a time. He scored kudos again, in 2013, for a successful bet against the Japanese yen.”

I hope this helps. I appreciate your time, MG for Scott Bessent (talk) 14:12, 21 October 2024 (UTC)

Hi, many thanks. Having looked at this request I am happy to approve you to make these specific changes to the article. However, this is with the exception of the sentence with the $15m dollar figure, which appears to be to some extent a duplication of $8m of funding which has already been described in the relevant section. Regards, Axad12 (talk) 15:25, 21 October 2024 (UTC)

Hi Axad12, thank you for approving the two edits. I went ahead and implemented them.

Regarding the remaining sentence that Bessent has donated over $15 million to Republican Party candidates, I realize that this also comes from the paywalled Wall Street Journal source, and I forgot to provide the quote for you. The article says, "Over the years, Bessent has mostly given to Republican candidates, donating more than $15 million, but he also helped some Democrats. He hosted a fundraiser for Gore’s presidential campaign in 2000 at his Hamptons home, but also donated that year to Republican Arizona Sen. John McCain."

This context shows that these donations are separate from the funds that Mr. Bessent helped to raise for candidates, which are already mentioned on the page. The $15 million are his own personal donations to candidates. Given this clarification, do you think this is relevant for inclusion as well?

Thanks again for considering my request, MG for Scott Bessent (talk) 13:48, 22 October 2024 (UTC)

Hi, I must admit that my reading of the quote you provide is that the $15m figure must, by definition, include the sums already detailed in the current article text. I'm having difficulty seeing how that could not be the case. Thus if the $15m figure was installed in the text there would be a clear element of double counting.

However, I'm happy to wait for another volunteer to give us the benefit of their interpretation. Axad12 (talk) 14:34, 22 October 2024 (UTC)

Part of an edit requested by an editor with a conflict of interest has been implemented.

Hello, in efforts to update this page, I request that the following information be included on the page:

• In the Politics section:

In July of 2024, Bloomberg Businessweek reported that Bessent was a key economic advisor to President Trump.^[1] He is reportedly a candidate for United States Secretary of the Treasury in a second Trump Administration,^[2] and proposed a three-point economic plan for Trump modeled on Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s “Three Arrows” economic policy.^[3]

• In the Board Memberships section:

In 2016, Bessent restored the historic Daniel Ravenel House and was later awarded the Preservation Society of Charleston's Carolopolis Award for the project.^[4][5][6] Bessent opened two foundations in 2022, and created the McLeod Rehabilitation Center at the Shriners Hospital for Children in Greenville, South Carolina.^[4][7] He also supports the Prince's Trust in London and the Harlem Children's Zone in New York City.^[4]

With these additions, the name of this section should please be changed to Board Memberships and Philanthropy.

• In the Personal life section:

Bessent and his husband, former New York City prosecutor, John Freeman, have two children.^[8]

Thank you for your assistance, MG for Scott Bessent (talk) 18:05, 31 October 2024 (UTC)

Partly done: I've made Philanthropy a separate section, as it doesn't feel quite right putting it in with board memberships. Encoded  Talk 💬 21:52, 1 November 2024 (UTC)

Thanks for your help, Encoded! MG for Scott Bessent (talk) 14:50, 4 November 2024 (UTC)

I found a fact that might belong in this article. See the quote below

Bessent, a hedge fund manager who has served as an economic adviser to the former president, is widely viewed as a leading candidate for the post in Trump’s new administration.

The fact comes from the following source:

https://www.ft.com/content/298a5fe6-8d4e-4356-86f0-0ea362d6f21f

Here is a wikitext snippet to use as a reference:

 {{Cite news |title=Billionaire hedge fund manager lines himself up for Treasury secretary role |url=https://www.ft.com/content/298a5fe6-8d4e-4356-86f0-0ea362d6f21f |work=Financial Times |date=2024-11-06 |access-date=2024-11-08 |first=Demetri |last=Sevastopulo |first2=Colby |last2=Smith |quote=Bessent, a hedge fund manager who has served as an economic adviser to the former president, is widely viewed as a leading candidate for the post in Trump’s new administration.}} 

This post was generated using the Add A Fact browser extension.

TJMSmith (talk) 03:39, 8 November 2024 (UTC)

The reference to John Jenrette being Bessent's uncle might need revision; one of the source articles describes Bessent simply as a family member who referred to Jenrette as "Uncle Johnny", but it seems that Jenrette was not a biological uncle (or by marriage) but rather a more distant relative. Bessent's mother was an only child who was close to some of her cousins, and Bessent's father doesn't appear to have been related to Jenrette. MisfitToys (talk) 02:56, 26 November 2024 (UTC)

Through e-mail exchanges today with two journalists associated with the article(s) in question (A. Murray, S. Adcox), I learned that the only source for the “uncle” reference was indeed the eulogy. No real familial connection was articulated. So the reference is, finally, grossly misleading when taken out of context, notably because it gives the false impression of a voluntary effort to construct a pedigree. 2A01:CB06:906C:BDDC:6122:CBCD:40BC:ED8E (talk) 20:31, 27 November 2024 (UTC)

The only thing I could find vaguely relevant was this letter to the editor in The State from (likely) Bessent's mother regarding Jenrette. --Engineerchange (talk) 22:30, 27 November 2024 (UTC)

It was the journalist Nick Reynolds who took the "Uncle Johnny" reference and twisted it to affirm that Bessent was "nephew of" Jenrette. That has been picked up by all sorts of media and established the myth. Reynolds should be admonished for this, would be more interesting to find out why he did it. In the South we tend to refer to many older cousins and even family friends as "aunt" or "uncle" without that meaning we are their actual neices and nephews. Highly suspicious. Nick Reynolds (November 13, 2024). "Scott Bessent of Charleston is on Trump's shortlist for US Treasury secretary. Who is he?". Post and Courier. 2A01:CB04:110A:5500:7886:6494:804:37D1 (talk) 01:08, 13 January 2025 (UTC)

@Asc85: FYI, re: your edit comment on Jenrette. I feel like this detail is still a bit unconfirmed? I don't know. --Engineerchange (talk) 19:21, 8 September 2025 (UTC)

@Engineerchange: I have no problem if this "uncle" reference is removed. I made that edit mostly because I thought it was a real negative slant towards John Jenrette, which I thought was inappropriate for a Wikipedia article. I assumed the "Uncle" reference was correct, but as you say, I really don't know. Asc85 (talk) 14:11, 9 September 2025 (UTC)

I graduated with Scott and Elizabeth Jenrette, John Jenrette’s daughter. I can confirm they are not related but friends. ~2026-12299-90 (talk) 02:29, 25 February 2026 (UTC)

Hey, is there a reference for his party membership, i have found nothing that would proof that he is a Republican. M.tzld (talk) 12:20, 30 November 2024 (UTC)

He has party membership recently Benfor445 (talk) 17:26, 6 February 2025 (UTC)

This article was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment, between 13 October 2025 and 15 December 2025. Further details are available on the course page. Student editor(s): Kenruns5 (article contribs).

— Assignment last updated by Kenruns5 (talk) 20:57, 24 October 2025 (UTC)

Recent edits suggest that Sec. Bessent is a "soybean farmer" citing recent comments to "This Week" host Martha Raddatz. The citation provided by previous editors goes on to discuss that Sec. Bessent is the landowner for a farm lease that produces soybeans.

'Bessent’s government financial disclosure shows that he owns soybean and corn farmland in North Dakota that has an estimated worth of between $5 million and $25 million. On that disclosure, Bessent said the farmland generates between $100,000 and $1 million in rental income for him annually.'

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/10/26/trump-treasury-bessent-trade-tariffs-china-soybean-farm.html

This arrangement is not consistent with the common usage of the term farmer. Suggested edit of "farm landlord," which was rejected. Replaced with "farming landowner." 32.142.170.250 (talk) 18:51, 28 October 2025 (UTC)

Bessent described himself as a soybean farmer. The citation does nothing to disprove that. Does he rent some of his land out? Yes. That is typical of farmers. Farmers who do that are called operator landlords.

https://ers.usda.gov/sites/default/files/_laserfiche/publications/74672/EIB-161.pdf

The article cites only one entry in his disclosure form that mentions "rent or royalites" (line 17.3).

However the disclosure also mentions his ownership of High Plains Acres LLP (Line 17).

https://www.usasurvival.org/uploads/1/2/6/3/126369300/bessent_scott__final278.pdf

High Plains Acres is described by Dun and Bradstreet as a business that does "crop production."

https://www.dnb.com/business-directory/company-profiles.high_plains_acres_llp.4e570ab7515e719a6099b2a776604985.html

Furthermore, this isn't the first time that Bessent has unequivocally identified himself as a farmer. In testimony before Congress back in May he said "First of all you may or may not know, I am a farmer."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxBIvXORBFQ&t=4334s

You have offered zero evidence that he is not a farmer. There IS evidence that he owns farmland and he has said multiple times in public settings that he is a farmer.

Not sure why there is any controversy here. 207.237.254.57 (talk) 20:05, 28 October 2025 (UTC)