Scott Bessent

“The Federal Reserve was forced to raise rates at a record pace after the demand shock created by Biden's multi-trillion-dollar spending packages were launched into a supply-contained economy.”

“The U.S. must reform the Inflation Reduction Act's distortionary incentives that encourage unproductive investment, which has to be sustained by a lifetime of subsidies.”

“Trump is making a lot of very good economic points.”

“The artificial intelligence, quantum-computing and space-based weapons systems for the conflicts of tomorrow must be designed now.”

“Everyone asks me, what do you tell President Trump he should do? I don't have to tell Donald Trump he should do anything. He's done it.”

“We are stretching our nation's finances and creditworthiness so thin that we may find ourselves unable to afford to defend our interests around the world.”

“Voters who think Harris would bring a new outlook to the White House should think again.”

“Americans willing to put themselves forward and serve their state or country in public office deserve our greatest admiration.”

“In retrospect, 'Bidenomics' was a sad, simple and cynical economic plan: spend, spend, spend while opening up the U.S. southern border to unlimited immigration to keep wage inflation down.”

“We have the potential for the Golden Age here, because if we unleash U.S. energy independence, energy dominance, I think we have the potential here to do a massive amount of deregulation.”

“I think what's different about Trump is he's a businessman - and he understands economics.”

“I think that tariffs in a way can be regarded as an economic sanction without a sanction.”

“The original sin of Bidenomics was the American Rescue Plan, which became law in March 2021.”

“When I think about investments, I have a long term structural view.”

“Trump does like to pick fights, but it is a mistake to think he is transactional on China.”

“If the Trump tax cuts get extended or made permanent, I think there have to be pay-fors.”

“Tariffs can't be inflationary because if the price of one thing goes up, unless you give people more money, then they have less money to spend on the other thing, so there is no inflation.”

“I spent most of my life being quite private.”

“The lesson of global economic integration is that free trade is to some degree in tension with free markets.”

“America's ability to levy effective sanctions creates deterrence, saving us money by avoiding conflict, and it is the dollar's preeminent status that makes American sanctions effective. But that will only last so long as the dollar and our debt are attractive.”