During a heated interview on ABC’s This Week, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confronted host George Stephanopoulos over comments made during the 1995–96 government shutdown in which Stephanopoulos, then a Democratic advisor, described Republicans as “terrorists” for pushing the government to close.
Bessent told Stephanopoulos that his earlier remarks were part of a broader Democratic strategy to portray GOP efforts as “blackmailing the country,” citing public transcripts in which Stephanopoulos discussed that exact framing. Stephanopoulos pushed back, calling Bessent’s characterization a “misrepresentation of history,” before the discussion devolved into interruptions and cross-talk.
The confrontation occurred as the Trump administration intensifies pressure to reopen the government and is examining tactics to override the Senate filibuster. Bessent emphasized that five Democratic senators crossing the aisle would end the shutdown faster than abandoning procedural safeguards.
The exchange reflects mounting tension between the administration and major media outlets, and underscores how events from the 1990s are being leveraged to influence the current shutdown debate.