EXCLUSIVE: US Treasury Sec. Bessent Gives Interview Ahead Of G20
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has had a fondness for the mountains of North Carolina dating back to his childhood. Now, he’s showcasing the area to the world as the most important global economic summit is set to take place at the end of August in the heart of the Appalachian Mountains.
The annual G20 Finance Track meetings are being held in Asheville, where 20 of the world’s most economically secure countries will send members of their government to discuss global economics. Other countries have received invites to attend, while usual participant South Africa is being restricted from joining.
The meetings will be held one month away from the two-year anniversary of Hurricane Helene ravaging the Appalachian Mountains. And in a lengthy and exclusive one-on-one interview with WBT Radio, Bessent says this is the perfect opportunity to showcase the beauty and spirit of Western North Carolina. (Hear the entire interview here: https://omny.fm/shows/breaking-with-brett-jensen/8-7-26-exclusive-1-on-1-with-treasury-sec-bessent)
“I have historical roots to the area,” he said. “I grew up as a child coming to Saluda in Flat Rock. I actually have a house in Jackson County. I want to showcase Asheville to the world. I love the Blue Ridge Mountains. …
“And also, I want to show Asheville and the whole area. It’s the comeback city. The Trump administration, we put over $5 billion into Western North Carolina for the recovery. And we want to showcase the beauty of the area, but also the resilience of the people.”
Hundreds of visitors, which include an estimated 300 media members from around the world, are expected to attend. It’s also anticipated that several million dollars will be pumped into the local economy due to the summit.
As far as the national economy is concerned, Bessent says things are a little tricky considering what the Trump administration walked into economically following the four-year presidency of Joe Biden.
“I’m 63 years old. The Biden administration had the worst inflation since my childhood in the 70s,” Bessent said. “And Americans deserved to be upset. They deserved to be agitated about the price level. Twenty-one percent inflation. For working families in terms of groceries, insurance, energy cost, probably in the 30s. They were torched and we have tried to slow inflation.
“The Iran conflict has caused a temporary upward trend in energy prices, but that’s going to come back down. We peaked in May in energy prices. And we want to get that back down. We are near the end of this conflict. Prices will come back down.”
