Scott Kenneth Homer Bessent (born 1962) assumed office as the 79th United States Secretary of the Treasury in January 2025, following a distinguished career as a hedge fund manager. A Yale alumnus, Bessent gained prominence at Soros Fund Management, where he was a leading member of the team that profited over $1 billion during the 1992 "Black Wednesday" British Pound sterling crisis and later earned another $1.2 billion betting against the Japanese yen in 2013. He went on to found his own global macro investment firm, Key Square Group, in 2015.
Bessent served as an economic advisor and major donor for Donald Trump's 2024 presidential campaign, leading to his nomination in November 2024 and Senate confirmation by a 68-29 vote on January 27, 2025, before being sworn in the next day. Notably, Bessent is the second openly gay man to serve in a U.S. Cabinet and, as Treasury Secretary, holds the highest-ranking openly LGBT position ever in the federal government due to his place in the presidential line of succession.