On Sunday’s episode of “State of the Union,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent took on CNN’s Dana Bash with a level of confidence that left no doubt about his command of the facts behind President Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill.” As Bash pressed him with bogus statistics from the Tax Policy Center and the Yale Budget Lab—both arguing that the majority of tax benefits would flow to Americans earning over $217,000—Bessent didn’t flinch.
What unfolded was less an interview and more a public schooling, as Bessent dismantled Bash with a precision that left the host visibly scrambling.
Bash opened with cherrypicked data from the Tax Policy Center and the Yale Budget Lab, painting the bill as a windfall for the wealthy and a blow to the poor. “The majority of the tax benefits will go to Americans making $217,000 or more a year,” Bash claimed, thinking she had Bessent cornered. But Bessent didn’t just hold his ground—he bulldozed right over the premise.
“Well, first, let’s have a look at the Yale Budget Lab, because I was looking at their findings,” he fired back. “This week, I actually went on their website. They’re all ex-Biden officials, so I think we can discount everything they say.”
Bam! But, wait, he wasn’t done.
“I’d encourage all your viewers to look at the composition of both the board and the staff,” he continued. The implication was unmistakable: Bash’s sources weren’t just biased—they were irrelevant.
Bash tried to regain her footing, reiterating claims that the richest Americans would see their incomes rise by nearly 2 percent, while the lowest earners could see a 3 percent drop due to cuts in Medicaid and food stamps. But Bessent was relentless, cutting her off with a dose of reality: “It’s just not right, that what we have here is a middle-class and working-class bill, that we—we are going to see wages accelerate and we are going to see, just as we saw with President Trump’s first tax bill, we are making permanent these tax cuts.”
The real humiliation came when Bessent turned the tables entirely, delivering what can only be described as a masterclass in tax policy. “What happened in 2017-2018 was, the highest wage earners went from paying 37 percent of all taxes to 45 percent. So that’s going to be permanent now. So, permanently, the highest 10 percent will pay a higher percent of the taxes.” In that moment, Bash’s talking points evaporated, replaced by the cold math of real data.
Bessent didn’t stop at defending the bill—he went on the offensive, painting its critics as politically motivated and out of touch. “We are making permanent these tax cuts,” he repeated, each time underscoring the administration’s commitment to the middle class and working Americans.
🚨 LMAO! CNN’s Dana Bash’s talking point immediately SMACKED DOWN by Scott Bessent. She was not ready for this.
BASH: “The Yale Budget Lab says the richest Americans will see their income rise by nearly 2%. The lowest earning Americans will see their income drop by 3%…”… pic.twitter.com/58mVcWkaAR
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) July 6, 2025
Bash, armed with lame, cherry-picked think tank statistics, found herself outmaneuvered and outclassed at every turn. In the end, it wasn’t just a debate. It was an epic takedown—one that left no doubt about who owned the moment.
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