The feud between Gov. Gavin Newsom and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent escalated Thursday over Newsom’s proposed tax on Trump’s $1.776 billion fund to compensate victims of federal government weaponization.
At a White House briefing Thursday, a reporter asked Bessent his thoughts on Newsom’s announcement of a 100% tax on the payments, which the governor has called a “slush fund.”
Bessent was quick to reply, “There’s no cure for stupid” before leaving the podium.
The terse, all-caps statement triggered a full-blown meltdown from Newsom’s press office, which claimed on X that the secretary was “so triggered by Gavin Newsom’s 100% tax on the Jan. 6 criminal slush fund he just ended the White House press briefing!!”
Payments from the fund can be claimed by anyone who believes they have been unfairly targeted by any adminstration, including those charged in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot.
Newsom’s camp then shared another post inexplicably taking aim at a piece of property formerly owned by Bessent in Charleston, South Carolina.
“Since Scott Bessent does not like my ‘J6 Slush Fund Tax’ (make them pay!), I am now looking into taxing his ugly pink mansion! The public has suffered long enough,” the all-caps message read.
“This is a public nuisance! 100% tax on payouts for J6 cop beaters and ugly pink mansions!”
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Bessent sold the historic mansion for $18.25 million last year.
Trump’s anti-government weaponization fund came as part of an agreement to dismiss the president’s $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS.
Newsom called for a 100% state tax on such funds distributed in the state. Critics of the fund said it would wrongly award people convicted of crimes of violence.
“Anyone from California that receives any of those funds, we want to tax 100% of those proceeds,” the governor said.
“And that’s an action the state of California can take — it’s an action we look forward to taking.”
Bessent and Newsom have a history of trading insults.
In January, the secretary flamed Newsom as an “economically illiterate Ken doll” while the governor called Bessent “smug” and “out of touch.”
