Key Takeaways Scott Bessent, Donald Trump's pick for Treasury Secretary, was an economic advisor during his campaign and championed an agenda of tariffs, lower taxes, and deregulation.Bessent is a hedge fund manager who previously worked for liberal billionaire George Soros.

All the while, Bessent and his allies executed a public-relations campaign aimed at cementing his front-runner status, booking him on cable news shows that Trump is known to watch

President-elect Trump on Friday named billionaire investor Scott Bessent to be his Treasury secretary. Bessent would be the key leader of the president-elect’s economic team, which will be tasked with imposing an aggressive tariff regime meant to shake up global trade while keeping financial markets calm amid the disruption.