Bulwark Takes - Scott Bessent Loses It After Getting Heckled at a Wine Bar

Episode Date: December 18, 2025

Tim Miller takes on the viral confrontation between Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and a protester at a DC wine bar, and makes the case that public officials don’t get to cause mass suffering and still expect polite silence in public. Exclusive $35 off Carver Mat at https://on.auraframes.com/BULWARKTAKES. Promo Code BULWARKTAKES.

Hey, everybody, Tim Miller from the bulwark. Fellow content creator Lucas Tim, that's Lucas Tim, T-H-I-M-M. I'm T-I-M-T-I-M-T. Lucas was out at a restaurant with his mother. Lo and behold, sitting across the way from him was Scott Bessent, the Treasury Secretary, who is just doing a horrific job, managing the economy and being very smarmy and condescending while he's out at. The farmers, Farmer, Scott, was at a wine bar in D.C. I guess he wasn't, didn't have time to tend to his crops.

Well, as Lucas is there, he notices some other, another person, another patron was not very happy with Scott Bessent, didn't like him, none too much. And she started shouting. Let's watch. Sounds like something you want to watch, right? I enjoyed it. We have a special guest here, and we want to make a toast to the Secretary of Treasury, Scott, that's. So let's give it up for the man who is eating in peace as people starve across the world based on his sanctions, which are economic warfare.

Of course you're going to do this. It's the truth. He oversees the death of 600,000 people due to sanctions annually. And this president, let's cheer to the Monroe Doctrine. Trump today said the Venezuelan oil. And you have no idea how ignorant you are. Ignorant, you are responsible for the death of 600,000 people annually because of sanction. How many people are going to die because of the blood is on your hands?

The blood is on your hands. You should be ashamed. Should not be able to eat in peace. I'm just going to say it. I love it. I love it. I love it. The only thing we have in this world is social stigma and shame, okay?

I'm not saying that we should stigmatize Scott Bowden, Scott Bossent, accountant or truck driver from Ohio who voted for Trump. They don't need shame and social stigma. If they are your cousin or your brother or your friend, you should shower them with love and help bring them on side, I'd help them see the light. But Scott Besant is the Treasury Secretary. And he is extremely smarmy and unappealing and condescending and gross when he's talking about the pain that he's causing people through the policies that they've put forth, whether it be their tariffs, cut of USAID, the cut of aid throughout the world, the firing of experts, the firing of people that do research throughout.

the government, you know, the bombing of people in the Caribbean. Scott Besson has his hands on all of this. Trump just said the other day, he's the point man for some of the Venezuela stuff. Scott Besson is responsible for a lot of human suffering, all right? And what we as a people in a free country are able to do is vote them out in the midterms and never vote for somebody who Scott Bessent advises ever again in the future. In the meantime, what we can do at a free country is telling that he sucks. Tell him that he sucks.

And, you know, there's no human right to be able to sit at a wine bar and eat crudite and eat stinky cheeses without people telling you that you suck. Sorry, it's not in the First Amendment. It's not a cancellation. It is people exercising their free speech rights to tell people in power that what they are doing, is harming others and it's bad and we're upset about it and if they don't want to be yelled at a wine bar then maybe they shouldn't go to a wine bar maybe they should just work the fields you know Scott says that he's a farmer maybe you should be checking in on the people that are walking the rows you know detassling this corn.

Fort work takes is sponsored by aura frames we're now getting down to the wire and holiday shopping season Hanukkah's already start. and you're getting close to that window for Christmas. That window's closing, basically. It's time to get serious with Aura frames. And I just got my own in the mail. It adds a touch of home to my desk here at the bulwark. I can catch a glance at all my favorite people

and all the memories that I've compiled over the years, all in this great frame. You can upload unlimited photos and videos to your frame. Just download the Aura app and connect to Wi-Fi. And it's just about that easy. You can preload photos before it ships, and it keeps adding them any time from anywhere. If you want to send your parents' photos of their grandkids, you can load them right onto your aura frame. Your parents will love it.

Each frame comes in a premium gift box with no price tag. You can even add a personalized message for your recipient before the frame arrives. For a limited time, save on the perfect gift by visitingoraFraimms.com to get $35 off or as best-selling Carver matte frames. They were named number one by wirecutter. Use the promo code bulwark takes at checkout. That's A-U-R-A-Frames.com. Promocode bulwark takes. This deal is exclusive to listeners, and frames do sell out fast.

So order yours now. To get it in time for the holidays, you are running out of time. Support the show by mentioning us at checkout. Terms and conditions apply. Another idea is if you want to go to the wine bar, He shouldn't be instituting policies that cause extensive human suffering and then rolling his eyes and ha-ha-ha-hawing when reporters ask him about it. Do better, as my annoying online reply guys say. Then maybe you won't get yelled at all right, you will, but you'd feel good about yourself and so it wouldn't matter, right?

If you felt like you were doing good policies, if you felt good about your, you know, this is some therapy talk. If you're feeling like you're acting in your own integrity, then it shouldn't bother you if other people tell you that they think you suck because you're doing the best you can. I don't think Scott thinks that he's acting in his own integrity. I don't. Maybe he does. Maybe he likes the bombing of random boats in the Caribbean. I don't know. But either way, you should be able to take some feedback.

Now, I want you to notice here that I'm alone on this video. And that is because there is some disagreement among the bulwark. I think I've got J. I'm going to name names. I don't want to reflect anybody's views. There was somebody in the Borg Slack that you might know from this YouTube feed who said that they can't believe that I'm for this. I'm like, have you met me?

Shame. Give me the shame bell. Shame, shame, shame on you, Scott Bessent. Your policies are terrible and you're a prick. You're hurting people. And if you want to go to a wine bar and have a little temperaio, have a little sarah. You know, he might be more of a sauv-blanc guy.

Have a little, have a little saviant-blanc, you know? That's not true. You know, he does the fancy wines. You know he does the fancy wines. All right, he does wines. I don't even know. I don't even know the names of the varietals, okay? But if you want to do that, then some people might tell you you suck.

Some people might remind you that your policies are leading to death and leading to human suffering in our country and around the world. So that's stuff break I followed up with Lucas Tim sent a message asked him what was happening there after the video and here is his report we can only just take him at his word

he was there firsthand he said Bethan was so upset and whining he said he watched as he tried to get the shouters kicked out but when the waiter refused he stood up and spit in his own food to be dramatic and then he walked off like a real housewife at a reunion

that's Lucas's report I do want the video of that Lucas I'm upset Scott's like I spit on this food that you made me that's what Scott said if you're going to allow people to remind me that I'm responsible for deaths of tens of thousands of people in the global south then I will spit on this food that you made me and I will storm back off to my penthouse tough world out there tough life tough being scott Bessence sucks to suck, I think, is what people say. Here's my thing. Okay, I don't support violence. Don't follow people into private areas.

Don't go into the bathroom with them. You know, there was a protest for once. I forget who they followed into a bathroom at the airport. I didn't like that. Don't, don't follow them into the bathroom. Okay. No violence. No threats of violence.

No following them into the bathroom or other private areas. Okay. No spitballs. None of that. Reminding them that their policies are terrible? shouting at them, making life unpleasant for them at a wine bar? That's a yes for me. All right.

If you are, you know, somebody who appreciates comity a little more and who thinks that the bulwark should be modeling better behavior, know that there are some other members of the staff that agree with you and you can tell me in the feed why I'm wrong. let me tell you this if i see greg bevino or scott bassett at a new orleans restaurant they're going to be hearing about it we'll talk to you all soon