It was announced just minutes before the broadcast that the Trump official would no longer appear on the program.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent abruptly withdrew from a live television appearance Sunday, missing one of his last chances to convince voters of Trump’s economic agenda before the midterms.
The 64-year-old Trump spokesperson was scheduled to appear on Face the nation Sunday morning, but pulled out of the CBS broadcast at the last minute.
“Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will no longer appear on FACE THE NATION this morning. We look forward to having him back on the show soon,” X posted about 12 minutes before the show aired.
Face the Nation announced the cancellation of the Scott Bessent interview shortly before it aired.
Wall Street Journal reporter Brian Schwartz reported: “The Treasury Department informed CBS it was canceling its scheduled appearance and no reason was given to the network. »
He added: “With Bessent not on the show, it appears the administration will not have a senior representative on the Sunday morning shows to try to promote the president’s economic policy agenda ahead of the election. No word from Treasury yet on the cancellation.”
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The Daily Beast has contacted the Treasury Department for comment.
A Wall Street Journal reporter claimed that Treasury had given CBS no reason for its absence, although the slot represents a major potential GOP advance before the midterms.
Bessent’s unexplained cancellation comes on the final weekend before the midterm elections, after a series of appearances on the show to declare his undying love for second-term Trump.
Despite his official role as Treasury chief, Bessent’s public appearances are often less geared toward national finances than toward front-line presidential public relations.
Last week, after Barack Obama joked that Trump “made the White House look like Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory,” Bessent showed up outside one of the chain’s restaurants.
Fox Business News just so happened to have cameras on hand to capture the relevant moment of Bessent, who is worth an estimated $600 million.
“I had a good meal, I always have a good meal,” he said. When asked what he ate at the chain – in which Trump coincidentally bet hundreds of thousands of dollars in stock – Bessent revealed to the conservative press: “What I always have: the French Dip Cheeseburger. It was a great lunch.”
While Bessent frequently appears on air in support of Trump, many CBS viewers have speculated that he is unwilling to deal with recent economic polls at historic lows.
Kevin Dietsch/Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
As Republicans apparently consider moving away from Trump after a predicted midterm defeat, it appears media-friendly dining out may not be enough for the man who oversees the nation’s money.
Some critics speculated that Bessent withdrew to avoid questions about Trump’s historically low economic polling. Neither Treasury nor CBS have publicly offered an explanation for the cancellation.
An AP-NORC survey last month found a low approval rating of 26 percent for the president’s handling of the economy, with an even lower approval rating of 17 percent for his handling of the cost of living. About 65 percent of respondents blame affordability problems on Trump’s policies.
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