CNBC hosts Joe Kernen and Becky Quick noted a great trick Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent deploys when he does battle with the fake news media. You’ve seen him do it before: he writes notes that the press can see, and he knows they’ll ask about it. Both hosts noted the same incident, adding that it works and Mr. Bessent is in a league of his own regarding dealing with the media scrutiny:
CNBC’s Joe Kernen just revealed one of Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s most ingenious media tricks.
— Overton (@overton_news) August 3, 2026
According to Kernen, Bessent intentionally writes notes on his notepad so the cameras catch them...knowing reporters will ask about exactly what he wants to talk about.
Even… pic.twitter.com/kJ4eTBRVep
KERNEN: “He leaves notes on his notepad.”
QUICK: “We all have to-do lists. Some of us have to-do lists that are a little longer.”
KERNEN: “No, but he’s on the record. A couple of weeks ago, or months ago, somebody said, ‘You wrote this on your notepad. Why did you do that?’”
“And he said, ‘So that all the reporters behind me would see it, and then they would ask me questions about it.’”
QUICK: “That’s interesting!”
KERNEN: “I don’t know if he did it this time.”
QUICK: “Well, it works...”
“I look back and think of Treasury Secretaries in the past…there are some Treasury Secretaries I would not feel comfortable if they were intervening in the markets like this.”
“Bessent is a special case, I think.”
For the most part, Trump has assembled a team of top officials and figures for his administration who can battle the press, outfight them as fiercely as he does, and know how to keep them in check and under control. From the press office to his top agencies, there’s always someone who isn’t a weak link when it comes to throwing haymakers.
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