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

Hedge fund mogul Scott Bessent, the pro-tariff Wall Street veteran and former colleague of Democratic megadonor George Soros, is considered the favorite to become perhaps the most prominent voice shaping the Trump economy,

Bessent spent his career in finance and gives Wall Street an advocate for tax reform and deregulation. Some call his nomination a 'relief' and say it could reduce the chance of severe tariffs.