Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent criticized former Vice President Kamala Harris and former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg during an interview with Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo, arguing that both should be evaluated based on their performance in office rather than identity.

The discussion began when Bartiromo referenced reports about Harris' vice presidential selection process during the 2024 campaign.

"She wouldn't take on Pete Buttigieg because he was gay, because she said it was a risk to have a running mate who was a gay man," Bartiromo said before asking Bessent, "Your reaction?"

Bessent responded by outlining what he described as three conclusions he drew from the situation.

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"Three things, Maria," he said. "First, it shows her emphasis on identity politics, and the American people have moved on."

Bessent also argued that the reported reasoning reflected Harris' view of the electorate.

"Two, it shows how low regard she holds the American people," he said. "That you know she was just a terrible candidate."

He then shifted his focus to Buttigieg's tenure leading the Department of Transportation, saying his record, rather than his personal identity, should have been the deciding factor.

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"And three, you wouldn't pick Pete Buttigieg because he might have been the worst transportation secretary in history," Bessent said.

Drawing a comparison to his own role at the Treasury Department, Bessent praised Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy while criticizing the condition of the department he inherited.

"Like if I thought I was left a mess at Treasury, I can tell you your friend, my friend Sean Duffy, our great transportation secretary, Pete Buttigieg left him a mess."

Bessent pointed to several areas that he said reflected problems within the nation's transportation system.

"The the FAA is a disaster," he said. "The Amtrak, you know, anything to do with transportation was woefully neglected over the past four years."

He argued that public officials should be judged by their job performance rather than personal characteristics.

"So you know, she judges him on his identity, his sexuality," Bessent said. "Let's look and see whether he did a good job."

Bessent said he believes evaluating public officials on merit provides a clearer measure of their performance.

"Let's let's look on merit," he said. "and I can tell you, on merit he was a failure, and on merit she's a failure."

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The exchange centered on Harris' reported vice presidential deliberations and Bessent's assessment of Buttigieg's record as Transportation Secretary.

Throughout the interview, Bessent argued that identity should not outweigh performance when evaluating candidates or government officials, maintaining that both Harris and Buttigieg should be judged on what they accomplished while serving in public office.

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