Elon Musk Rammed Into US Treasury Secy Like A 'Rugby Player'; Did White House 'Fistfight' Cause Black Eye?

Amid Elon Musk's public feud with US President Donald Trump, shocking claims about the Tesla CEO's conduct in the White House have surfaced. Influential right-wing podcaster Stephen K Bannon told The Washington Post that Musk got into a physical altercation with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in April, resulting in the black eye that he was seen sporting during a press briefing with Trump.

The confrontation reportedly occurred in mid-April, after Musk and Bessent entered the Oval Office separately to lobby for their preferred candidate to head the Internal Revenue Service. Bannon claimed Trump ultimately sided with Bessent's recommendation, and as both men walked out of the White House, the US Treasury Secretary allegedly questioned Musk about his unfulfilled claim of uncovering more than $1 trillion in wasteful and fraudulent government spending.

The argument escalated, and Bessent then allegedly shouted at Musk, saying, "You're a fraud. You're a total fraud." A visibly angry Musk then rammed his shoulder into Bessent's ribcage, the podcaster claimed. According to The Washington Post, he lunged into Bessent’s rib cage "like a rugby player." Multiple people then jumped in to break up the fight as Musk was then taken out of the West Wing.

The news also reached US President Donald Trump, who heard about it and said, 'This is too much,'" Bannon said.

Notably, as Trump sent off Elon Musk as the chief of the Department of Government Efficiency in May, social media had noticed the black eye on Musk's right eye. There was wild speculation that it could be the result of a brawl. But Musk had claimed that the bruise came from "horsing around" with his 5-year-old son.

Last month, Bannon had made similar claims to the Daily Mail and said that the dispute started when Bessent challenged Musk's failure to follow through on promised major federal spending cuts linked to DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency).