Overview
- New opinion and analysis pieces argue Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has shifted from a stabilizing figure to a belligerent public posture that risks unnerving investors.
- At Davos, Bessent dismissed European objections to Trump’s Greenland and tariff threats as “hysteria” and told critics to “sit back” rather than retaliate.
- He also derided Denmark’s role in U.S. Treasuries as “irrelevant” and later attacked California Gov. Gavin Newsom with personal insults in a Politico interview.
- Commentators link the rhetoric to negative market signals, citing gold at about $5,100 per ounce from roughly $4,000 three months earlier, a dollar down around 10% year over year, and a roughly 50‑basis‑point rise in the 10‑year Treasury yield over 16 months.
- European leaders threatened about $93 billion in retaliatory measures after the tariff talk, a stance reported to have rattled markets and contributed to Trump stepping back from escalation.