In a riveting exchange on Sunday morning, Scott Bessent, who served as Treasury Secretary under former President Donald Trump, delivered a striking critique of a prominent network host, captivating cable news audiences.

Speaking with Kristen Welker during an episode of Meet the Press, Bessent painted an optimistic picture for inflation rates in 2026. He also offered a controversial suggestion for those seeking immediate relief from soaring prices.

“Want to lower your inflation rate? Consider moving from a blue state to a red state! Inflation in blue states is half a percent higher,” Bessent commented.

He further explained, “That’s because they don’t deregulate. They maintain higher prices, and energy costs are elevated.” After his remarks, Welker momentarily hesitated, referencing her notes before questioning Bessent about the consumer price index.

As of September 2025, the consumer price index indicates that the current U.S. inflation rate stands at 3.0 percent over the past year.

California’s inflation rate in the Los Angeles area, based on data from August 2024 to August 2025, is 3.3 percent. This is higher than the national average of 3.0 percent for the same period. 

Over the same 12-month window, the inflation rate in the Republican Miami, Florida area was 2.5 percent. 

The inflation rate in America’s South was 2.5 percent for the 12 months ending in August. During the same time period, the inflation rate in the vastly Democratic Northeast was 3.3 percent for the 12 months ending in August.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on NBC’s Meet The Press on Sunday

During a discussion with moderator Kristen Welker (pictured) on Meet the Press, Bessent shared an optimistic outlook on inflation for 2026

Welker and Bessent also sparred about tariffs during the segment.

‘Since you were last on this program, the administration announced it was rolling back tariffs on more than 200 food products. You have said recently that you think tariffs help consumers. 

‘If tariffs help consumers, why is the administration rolling them back,’ Welker asked Bessent.

‘If you look at the data, that imported goods, the inflation has actually been flat,’ Bessent noted.

‘Inflation is up because of the service economy and services. So that has nothing to do with tariffs. And many of the food items where the inflation is coming down, the USTR has been working very hard on trade deals,’ the Treasury Secretary continued.

U.S. Secretary of Treasury Scott Bessent and U.S. President Donald Trump look on during The White House Digital Assets Summit in the State Dining Room of the White House on March 07, 2025 in Washington, DC.

‘The trade deals that have been in the works for six or eight months coincide with many Latin America, Central American countries, where the foodstuffs you just named come from,’ Bessent added.

Bessent has been one of the most visible members of Trump’s administration during the second term, known for his unique sense of humor.

Earlier this summer, he got into a heated altercation with former ‘First Buddy’ Elon Musk in the Oval office. 

During a hearing on his department’s budget before the Ways and Means Committee, Bessent was grilled about whether he really tackled Elon Musk in the White House in May.

‘Mr. Secretary, how are you doing?’ Representative Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.) asked Bessent in the hearing.

‘So far, so good,’ Bessent quipped back.

‘Okay. I was just curious because I know Elon Musk body checked you at the White House. No animosity to Elon Musk, right?’ Gomez continued.

‘You know that?’ Bessent asked about the sparring event.

‘That’s what I heard,’ Gomez responded.

Bessent had been partaking in three days of trade negotiations in London and had not yet been questioned about the story before the hearing.

Bessent also noted in that hearing that he would ‘take South Carolina over South Africa any day’, Bessent replied, referring to his home state versus Musk’s nation of birth.

Musk was spotted with a black eye as he delivered a sort of farewell address in the Oval Office upon departing from his role as a ‘special government employee’ heading up Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency DOGE).

At the time, Musk claimed that the black eye was the result of roughhousing with his young son, X ÿ A-12, who is more commonly know as X. But speculation grew as more was revealed about his tense standoff with Bessent.

Former Chief Strategist Steve Bannon told Daily Mail in May that Musk’s turbulent time in the White House was marred when he was confronted over wild promises to save the administration ‘a trillion dollars’.

That’s when an irate Musk physically ‘shoved’ 62-year-old Bessent.

‘Scott Bessent called him out and said, ‘You promised us a trillion dollars (in cuts), and now you’re at like $100 billion, and nobody can find anything, what are you doing?” Bannon revealed.