Some much-needed and very funny entertainment was added to a House Financial Services Committee hearing on Wednesday, May 7, when Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent caught Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) on her back foot by reminding her that they had met at a New Year’s Eve party and joking about her dance moves.
It was as various members of the House Financial Services Committee stepped up to either toss Secretary Bessent softballs if on his side or try to catch him in an embarrassment if against him and Trump’s tariffs that Rep. Maxine Waters stepped up and tried to go on the attack. However, Bessent got the room roaring with laughter with how he responded.
That came when Rep. Waters asked if his testimony during the hearing before the House committee was the first time that they had met, asking, “Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. Secretary Bessent, this is the first time we’ve met. Is that correct?”
Responding, Secretary Bessent told her that they had met before. Drawing laughter as he did so, Bessent said, “No, ma’am. We actually met one New Year’s Eve in the Bahamas.” Rep. Waters, obviously not expecting that answer, responded by saying, “He didn’t make an impression. Why don’t I remember that?”
Bessent dialed the hilarity up and drew more laughter by joking about her dance moves, saying, “Well, you were much better at the electric slide than I was.” Continuing, Bessent joked about another politician at the party, saying, “And I was with the Prime Minister of the Bahamas yesterday, Prime Minister [Philip] Davis, who sends his regards.”
Trying to place the event, Waters said, “Well, were you with my husband when he was ambassador to the Bahamas appointed by [former President Bill] Clinton?” Bessent nodded, and Waters then said, “Well, you’re not gonna like this.” But, though she aced like the grilling would then start, she returned to not remembering the party, saying, “I didn’t remember that.” Watch her here:
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.@RepMaxineWaters: “This is the first time we’ve met, is that correct?”@SecScottBessent: “No, ma’am. We actually met one New Year’s Eve in the Bahamas.”
Rep. Waters: “Why don’t I remember that?”
Sec. Bessent: “You were much better at the electric slide than I was.” pic.twitter.com/vwq2CpI3eC
— CSPAN (@cspan) May 7, 2025
The back-and-forth exchange came when Treasury Secretary Bessent appeared to testify on international financial systems and their present state. He mainly slammed both the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, deceribing both as being in serious need of reform.
Commenting, for example, at the beginning of his introductory statement on what the Trump Administration sees as needing to be done regarding those institutions, Bessent said, “At the IMF and World Bank Group Spring Meetings last month, I relayed an important message: America First does not mean America Alone. To the contrary, America First seeks to expand U.S. leadership in international institutions like the IMF and World Bank. By embracing a stronger leadership role, the United States will restore fairness to the international economic system.”
And, describing Trump’s goals more generally, Bessent said, “The core components of the Trump economic agenda are trade, tax cuts, and deregulation. These are not standalone policies. They are interlocking parts of an engine designed to drive economic growth and domestic manufacturing: Tax cuts and cost savings from deregulation raise real incomes for families and businesses; tariffs create an incentive for reshoring jobs and fair trade; and deregulation complements tariffs by making it easier to invest in energy and manufacturing projects.”
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video