'President wants you now': US Treasury Secretary summoned mid-live interview
What's the story
United States Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent was abruptly interrupted during a live interview with Sky News's Wilfred Frost on Thursday. The interruption came after an aide informed him that President Donald Trump wanted to see him immediately. "The President wants you right away," the aide is heard saying off camera as the speechless journalist looked on. After the interruption, Bessent returned to the interview nearly two hours later.
Twitter Post
Watch the video here
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent was abruptly pulled from a live interview after being told “the President wants you right away.”
— Clash Report (@clashreport) March 13, 2026
After returning, his voice was noticeably shaken. pic.twitter.com/jx5CamFi03
Post-interview insights
Bessent stammers through responses upon return
Upon his return, Bessent was visibly shaken and stammered through his responses. When Frost asked how Trump was, he said that the president was in good spirits and the Iranian mission was on track. "The President is in great spirits, the Iranian mission is proceeding well ahead of schedule," Bessent said, adding he discussed a "plethora of things" with Trump. He also praised Trump's leadership and Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth, saying he would trust them with his child's life.
Economic fallout
Bessent discusses potential ship escorting in Strait of Hormuz
The ongoing conflict with Iran has had a major impact on the economy, with fuel prices skyrocketing and supply shortages. The Iranian regime has blocked the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping lane. Bessent spoke about this during his interview, saying the US could start escorting ships through if the threat is removed. "My belief is that as soon as it is militarily possible, the US Navy, perhaps with an international coalition, will be escorting vessels through," he said.
Incident update
Plane crash kills 4 US personnel in Iraq
US officials fear Iran may have placed undersea mines to obstruct trade lines, but no evidence of explosives has been detected. "There are, in fact, tankers coming through now, Iranian tankers, I believe some Chinese-flag tankers have come through. So we know that they have not mined the straits," Bessent said. Till Wednesday, seven US members had been killed. But on Thursday, four more were killed after a military refueling aircraft crashed in western Iraq.