An upcoming new book claims President Donald Trump was advised by a cabinet official not to host Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House and had referred to the Ukrainian leader in disparaging terms.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent allegedly referred to Zelensky as a “little f****r” and a “special-needs child for the Europeans,” and also called him “Mr. Bean on crack,” according to excerpts from a forthcoming book by New York Times reporters Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan. The excerpts, published by The Guardian, claim Bessent opposed Zelenskyy’s visit to the White House, which he made in February 2025, just weeks into Trump’s second administration.
According to The Guardian:
“Several Trump aides had been worried” about the potential for a blow-up when Zelenskyy came to the White House, ostensibly to seal a minerals deal drafted by Bessent, Swan and Haberman write. Then-national security adviser Mike Waltz “tried – unsuccessfully – to get the message across that Zelenskyy should come wearing a suit”, they continue. “Bessent had strongly recommended to Trump that he not even allow Zelenskyy into the White House before he had signed” the deal.
“‘I’ve dealt with this little fucker,’ Bessent would say to associates about Zelenskyy,” according to the “Regime Change,” which is set to be released on June 23. “‘He’s tricky. He’s like the special-needs child for the Europeans. And he’s acting like Mr Bean on crack.”
The Oval Office visit ended abruptly after heated exchanges between Zelenskyy, Trump, and Vice President JD Vance. Speaking with Bloomberg Television after the blowup, Bessent called Zelenskyy’s conduct“one of the greatest diplomatic own goals in history.”
“I was shocked, shocked that President Zelenskyy would come into the Oval Office, behave like this, speak to the president, speak to the vice-president, but more importantly, disrespect the American people like this,” he said at the time.
Swan and Haberman also claim in the book that, ahead of the Oval Office meeting, Zelenskyy had met with Bessent in Kyiv regarding the minerals deal, and it did not go well.
“For 45 minutes, the men berated each other,” the reporters wrote. “Bessent had only been on the job for a few days, and already he had gotten into a shouting match with the leader of a country in the middle of a war. Finally he looked at Zelensky and said: ‘What the f**k do you want to do?’”
While some critics were quick to bash Bessent on social media for the alleged behavior, many X users expressed a decidedly different take.
I didn’t think I could love Scott Bessent any more than I already did. 😍
— Belle Godwin (@doublebelle) June 21, 2026
Looks like Mr. Bessent is an accurate judge of character.
— Diane Greger (@DianeGreger) June 21, 2026
“Mr. Bean on crack” – that’s freakin’ awesome.
— Michael Quinn Sullivan 🇺🇸 (@MQSullivan) June 21, 2026
— Truth Seeker (@avoura) June 21, 2026
LMAOOO what a LEGEND. Scott Bessent is the MAN
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) June 21, 2026
Writers and editors can be contacted at [email protected] with feedback, tips, or corrections.
Originally from New York, Powers graduated from New York University and eventually made her way to sunny South Florida. Powers also contributes to BizPac Review.
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