Overview
- Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent defended President Donald Trump after Trump posted a message celebrating the death of former FBI director Robert Mueller, according to an exchange aired Sunday on NBC.
- Host Kristen Welker read Trump’s words on air and asked if it was appropriate for a president to celebrate the death of an American citizen who served in Vietnam and earned the Bronze Star and Purple Heart.
- Bessent urged empathy for Trump and cited watching a video in Davos of what he described as a possible illegal raid on Mar-a-Lago, saying people cannot understand what has been done to the president and his family.
- Welker corrected that Mueller had nothing to do with the Mar-a-Lago search, which stemmed from a separate probe under special counsel Jack Smith, as Bessent repeated his empathy-based defense.
- Mediaite and Raw Story published the exchange and highlighted Bessent’s remarks, with Mediaite characterizing his defense as baffling and canned.