Bessent makes history at Treasury as highest-ranking LGBTQ official
The Senate on Monday confirmed billionaire hedge fund manager and investor Scott Bessent as President Trump’s Treasury secretary, making him the highest-ranking LGBTQ official in the nation’s history.
The Senate voted 68-29 Monday evening to confirm Bessent, 62, to lead the Department of the Treasury. He is the first openly LGBTQ person to hold the position, fifth in line to the presidency.
Bessent’s confirmation comes after former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg made history as the first openly LGBTQ Cabinet official to win Senate confirmation in 2021. In 2020, during Trump’s first term, Richard Grenell became the first gay Cabinet member when he was appointed acting director of national intelligence.
In being confirmed as Treasury secretary, Bessent is taking on the nation's highest administrative economic office, and one of the biggest Cabinet positions.
Bessent’s husband, former New York City prosecutor John Freeman, attended his confirmation hearing this month with their two children. “The ultimate civics lesson,” Bessent quipped in his opening remarks.
A graduate of Yale University, Bessent marveled to the school’s alumni magazine in 2015 how far gay rights had progressed over his lifetime.
“If you had told me in 1984, when we graduated, and people were dying of AIDS, that 30 years later I’d be legally married and we would have two children via surrogacy, I wouldn’t have believed you,” he said.
Charles Moran, president of the Log Cabin Republicans, a conservative LGBTQ rights group, said Bessent’s nomination and subsequent Senate confirmation reflect Trump’s intent to fill his administration with individuals who share his vision for the nation, regardless of their demographics.
He referenced State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce, a radio host and conservative political commentator, who is gay, and Grenell, whom Trump selected in December as an envoy for special missions.
Susie Wiles, Trump’s chief of staff, is the first woman to hold the position, and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, at 27, is the youngest in U.S. history.
“He just wants the best, most qualified people to serve in these positions, regardless of their sex, their gender, their sexual orientation, their religion,” said Moran, who recently announced his departure from the organization. “We’ve got record levels of diversity, not for the sake of diversity, but because these are some of the best-qualified people.”
In a post on the social platform X, Trump’s White House said Bessent’s confirmation Monday reflects Trump’s “dedication to restoring economic strength and stability.”
“We need pro-equality LGBTQ+ nominees and LGBTQ+ people at all levels of government,” said Kelley Robinson, president of the Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest LGBTQ advocacy group. LGBTQ Americans, she said, are counting on “nominees like Scott Bessent to step up for the community.”
Bessent’s confirmation, she said, could be an opportunity for the Human Rights Campaign, which endorsed former Vice President Kamala Harris’s presidential run and publicly denounced Trump’s 2022 announcement that he would seek a second term, to work “across the aisle to advance equality.”
Still, “it will be a tough road,” said Robinson, who has led the organization since 2022.
“As was proven during Donald Trump's previous administration and in his Project 2025 agenda, Donald Trump and his White House are a threat to the rights, freedoms, and lives of LGBTQ+ people,” Robinson said. “That will be our focus in the upcoming days, months and years ahead."
Trump on Jan. 20, during his first hours in office, signed an executive order recognizing only two sexes, male and female, and rolled back others signed by former President Biden that expanded nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ people and allowed transgender Americans to serve openly in the military.
A separate executive order suspending foreign assistance could have far-reaching consequences for programs like the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, an effort to combat HIV worldwide that is credited with saving more than 25 million lives.
Trump is expected to sign an executive order on Monday that bans transgender troops from the armed forces, reinstating a policy he began implementing in 2017.
-
Senate Confirms Scott Bessent as Treasury Secretary
Bessent, a hedge fund manager, becomes the nation’s 79th Treasury secretary. He will lead President Trump’s economic agenda.The New York Times - 2d -
Scott Bessent wins Senate confirmation as Treasury secretary
The Wall Street veteran won the Senate's confirmation to be Treasury secretary. The vote was 68-29.CNBC - 2d -
Senate confirms Scott Bessent as Treasury secretary
The Senate voted Monday as Senate Republicans work to quickly install President Trump's picks for top administration posts.CBS News - 2d -
Senate confirms Scott Bessent as Trump's Treasury secretary
Scott Bessent on Monday secured confirmation to lead the Department of the Treasury, putting President Trump’s top economic nominee in place ahead of a daunting GOP push to enact Trump's ambitious ...The Hill - 2d -
Senate confirms Scott Bessent as treasury secretary
President Donald Trump is set to attend a high-profile policy conference with House Republican lawmakers in his home state of Florida. Trump first landed in Miami on Saturday and has been at his ...NBC News - 2d -
Bessent to divest from assets on road to leading Treasury
President-elect Trump’s Treasury Secretary pick Scott Bessent has plans to divest from funds and other investments as he prepares to take over as the country’s top economic official. In an ...The Hill - Jan. 13 -
Scott Bessent, Trump’s Billionaire Treasury Pick, Will Shed Assets to Avoid Conflicts
Financial disclosure forms show hundreds of millions of assets including property in the Bahamas and investments in Bitcoin and bets against China’s currency.The New York Times - Jan. 11 -
Luke Littler ref makes history as gay darts official
Huw Ware says it was the biggest day of his life as he called in the new champion.BBC News - Jan. 4 -
Several new members of Congress will make LGBTQ history
Three history-making, newly elected lawmakers representing the LGBTQ community will be sworn in to the 119th Congress Friday.ABC News - Jan. 3
More from The Hill
-
Hegseth touts Guantánamo Bay as 'perfect spot' to house migrants
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said Guantánamo Bay is the “perfect spot” to house deported migrants, after President Trump signed a memo Wednesday ordering a facility there be prepared for that ...The Hill - 1h -
Vance lauds Trump’s second term approach: ‘All gas, no brakes’
Vice President Vance praised President Trump’s approach to his second term, touting the quick and broad actions of the new administration as well as the stamina of the president compared to his ...The Hill - 1h -
Watch live: Local authorities respond to airplane collision near Reagan National Airport
A regional jet and helicopter collided near Reagan National Airport shortly before 9 p.m. local time on Wednesday evening. The Federal Aviation Agency (FAA) said that a PSA Airlines regional jet, ...The Hill - 1h -
Regional jet carrying 64, military helicopter collide near Reagan National Airport
A regional jet carrying 60 passengers and four crew members collided with a military helicopter on Wednesday night as it approached Reagan National Airport. The flight was en route from Witchita, ...The Hill - 2h -
Zuckerberg hails Trump administration on Meta earnings call
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Wednesday praised President Trump’s administration and said he looks forward to “redefining” the relationship the tech giant has with governments. “This is also going to ...The Hill - 3h
More in Politics
-
Hegseth touts Guantánamo Bay as 'perfect spot' to house migrants
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said Guantánamo Bay is the “perfect spot” to house deported migrants, after President Trump signed a memo Wednesday ordering a facility there be prepared for that ...The Hill - 1h -
Vance lauds Trump’s second term approach: ‘All gas, no brakes’
Vice President Vance praised President Trump’s approach to his second term, touting the quick and broad actions of the new administration as well as the stamina of the president compared to his ...The Hill - 1h -
Watch live: Local authorities respond to airplane collision near Reagan National Airport
A regional jet and helicopter collided near Reagan National Airport shortly before 9 p.m. local time on Wednesday evening. The Federal Aviation Agency (FAA) said that a PSA Airlines regional jet, ...The Hill - 1h -
Musk affiliate in FBI director's office sparks fear of partisan interference
A person who has been affiliated with Elon Musk’s SpaceX and a former aide to one of the FBI’s toughest Congressional critics are working as advisers to the bureau’s director, current and former ...NBC News - 1h -
Regional jet carrying 64, military helicopter collide near Reagan National Airport
A regional jet carrying 60 passengers and four crew members collided with a military helicopter on Wednesday night as it approached Reagan National Airport. The flight was en route from Witchita, ...The Hill - 2h