Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent reportedly spat in his food in a rage after being confronted by protesters at a Washington, D.C., restaurant at the end of last year.

The alarming new detail was one of many revelations in a Wall Street Journal account of Bessent’s conduct over the last 20 months at the helm of the Treasury, where he reportedly regularly yells at staffers and is known for losing his temper.

President Donald Trump has told advisers that he likes Bessent’s “feisty public persona,” according to the Journal. The report comes amid growing skepticism about the Trump administration’s handling of the economy ahead of the midterm elections.

Bessent was dining at a Brazilian-Italian restaurant in D.C. last December when he was confronted by activists from Code Pink who were protesting economic sanctions. They accused Bessent of “oversee[ing] the deaths of 600,000 people due to sanctions annually.”

After the public shaming, the Treasury chief blew up at the restaurant owner for not removing the activists, and spat in his food before he stormed out, according to the Journal, citing the owner and a nearby diner.

Bessent’s tough management style has led to staffers reportedly trading advice on how to handle the secretary’s mood before they meet with him, while others described feeling relieved when he was not in the office.

Some told the outlet that Bessent’s behavior “was a factor in the departure of multiple key officials” during his tenure.

When Bessent was asked by Trump to investigate alleged fraud in Minnesota’s Somali community, he reprimanded – John Hurley, the former undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, in front of staffers for “dragging his feet.”

Bessent reportedly yelled profanities at Hurley, and was so loud that staffers working nearby overheard. Hurley left the Treasury in February. In a statement to the Journal, Hurley praised Bessent as “a brilliant and fearless warrior for President Trump and the American people.”

In another incident last year, Bessent picked up a binder full of papers and hurled it at a wall after he became angry about the way his daily briefing book was organized, according to the Journal. Bessent denied the incident to the outlet.

A Treasury spokesperson did not directly address the reports of Bessent’s temper when reached for comment, but said the secretary “approaches the job with a deep sense of responsibility and urgency” after working in “some of the most demanding roles in global finance.”

“He has high expectations of the United States Treasury’s performance because the American people deserve the best outcomes,” the spokesperson told The Independent.

The White House also defended Bessent in a statement to the newspaper, and touted “the level of professionalism and accountability” he has brought to the Treasury as “one of the great accomplishments of this administration.”

Reports of Bessent’s hot temper first emerged early in Trump’s second term, when he had a physical altercation with Elon Musk.

Bessent and the world’s richest man, who for six months oversaw the now-defunct Department of Government Efficiency, got into what observers described as a professional wrestling-style shouting match over who would be placed in charge of the Internal Revenue Service.

Since then, he has confronted Bill Pulte at a private dinner in 2025, reportedly “physically threatening” him, and clashed with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick at an event last year, according to the Journal.

Bessent “enjoys cultivating a tough-guy image,” former Treasury officials told the newspaper, and has found reports of the altercations “humorous.”

MAGA stalwart Steve Bannon, Trump’s former White House chief adviser, described Bessent as a “good person” but warned, “he’s got a tripwire and he’s got a temper.”

In response to the report, the Treasury spokesperson also touted several policies ushered in under Bessent.

“He championed the Working Families Tax Cuts and is overseeing their implementation, directed the search for a new Federal Reserve chairman,” the spokesperson began.

“Delivered the most successful tax filing season in American history while improving IRS efficiency, launched Trump Accounts, enacted sweeping bank regulatory reform, leads the China economic relationship, designed Operation Economic Outcast to cut off Iran from the international financial system, and helped to secure more than a dozen major economic agreements that expand U.S. market access and advance strategic investment.”