A new book by New York Times reporters Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan says U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent repeatedly insulted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and urged Donald Trump not to host him in the Oval Office. British newspaper The Guardian published excerpts from the book, "Regime Change," which is due out worldwide on Tuesday.
According to the excerpts, Bessent told associates he had dealt with Zelensky before and called him "a little rat," "a special-needs European kid," and "Mr. Bean on drugs." He also reportedly described Zelensky as a "sophisticated and problematic" man. The book says these remarks came before the tense White House meeting on February 28, 2025, which ended in a sharp public confrontation and became a symbol of Trump administration hostility toward Ukraine compared with the Biden era.
The book says several Trump aides feared in advance that the White House visit could turn into a clash. Then-national security adviser Mike Waltz tried, unsuccessfully, to tell Zelensky to wear a suit. Bessent allegedly urged Trump to keep Zelensky out of the White House unless he first signed a minerals agreement drafted by the Treasury Department. Bessent later told Bloomberg that Zelensky had made a diplomatic mistake and scored "one of the greatest own goals," adding that he was surprised by Zelensky's behavior and that it showed disrespect toward Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance, and the American people.
The book also recounts Bessent's 45-minute shouting match with Zelensky in Kyiv, where he was trying to pressure the Ukrainian leader to sign the minerals deal. The talks reportedly stalled because of a dispute between Bessent and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick over the wording, and Trump asked Usha Vance to review Ukraine's requested changes. She reportedly called the draft "horrible" and made major edits. Another potentially awkward claim in the book says Bessent told close associates that Trump reminded him of his former boss, investor George Soros, saying, "They are the same beast."
