Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent delivered a masterclass in turning the tables on a mainstream media host during his appearance on ABC’s This Week Sunday morning. When George Stephanopoulos pressed him about President Trump’s social media posts regarding the filibuster amid the ongoing government shutdown, Bessent had a surprise waiting for the former Clinton operative-turned-media-pundit.
Stephanopoulos wanted to know if ending the filibuster was the administration’s official position for resolving the shutdown. Bessent wasn’t having it. He reminded the ABC host of his own role in similar budget battles during the Clinton administration and threw his past rhetoric right back at him.
“George, the best way to do it—and look, you were involved in a lot of these in the ’90s. And, you know, you basically called the Republicans terrorists and, you know, you said that it is not the responsible party that keeps the government closed,” Bessent said.
Bessent then laid out what he sees as the real solution to the impasse. Five moderate Democratic senators could cross the aisle and reopen the government, given the current 52-to-three vote split. Instead of playing political games with Senate rules, Bessent argued, Democrats should simply do the responsible thing and vote to fund the government.
Stephanopoulos tried to deflect, claiming he could disagree with Bessent’s characterization of history but didn’t want to do a history lesson right then… which is another way of saying he had no comeback. Instead, the ABC anchor attempted to redirect the conversation multiple times, clearly uncomfortable with where this was heading. He wanted to talk about “what’s happening right now” and complained that Bessent hadn’t answered his question.
But Bessent came prepared. Really prepared.
“If you want, I’ve got all your quotes here. I got all your quotes here, George,” the Treasury secretary said, evidently brandishing receipts from Stephanopoulos’s Clinton White House days.
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Stephanopoulos acknowledged Bessent probably did have those quotes, trying again to move past the awkward moment. That’s when Bessent delivered the killing blow. He pointed out how Stephanopoulos spent the 1990s attacking Republicans for the very same tactics Democrats are now employing, and Bessent had chapter and verse to prove it, and even managed to get in a clever dig at his book sales for good measure.
“And I went back and read your book. So, you got one—one purchase on Amazon this week. And that’s very much what you said,” Bessent quipped.
Boom! What an epic burn!
.@SecScottBessent on the Democrat Shutdown: “We’ve seen an impact on the economy from day one — but it’s getting worse and worse… There are estimates that economic growth for this quarter could be cut by as much as half if this shutdown continues.” pic.twitter.com/QWjiLSKleu
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) November 9, 2025
The exchange exposed a truth that too many so-called journalists are former partisan operatives hiding behind a façade of objectivity. George Stephanopoulos, once the Clinton White House’s communications director and deeply involved in the budget battles and shutdowns of that era, now sits at ABC questioning this administration as if he had no part in creating the same chaos. Treasury Secretary Bessent refused to play along. Armed with Stephanopoulos’s own words and writings, he turned the tables, making it crystal clear that government gridlock isn’t a Republican problem alone. The lesson was sharp and unmistakable: don’t lecture Republicans on shutdowns when the Trump administration is perfectly willing to bring the receipts.
Editor’s Note: The Schumer Shutdown has now been dragging on over a month. Democrats aren’t negotiating in good faith, and seem determined to hold the country hostage while blaming the GOP.
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