During a Sunday morning appearance on “Meet the Press,” former Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent shared some eye-catching insights into the inflation landscape, sparking interest among cable news viewers. In a conversation with host Kristen Welker, Bessent expressed optimism about the inflation outlook for 2026. He also offered a somewhat unconventional suggestion for those seeking immediate relief from high prices: “The best way to reduce your inflation rate? Relocate from a blue state to a red state! Inflation in blue states is half a percent higher,” Bessent commented.

Bessent elaborated, attributing the difference to regulatory practices: “That’s because they don’t deregulate. They maintain high prices, and energy costs are steeper,” he added. Welker, momentarily taken aback, checked her notes before inquiring about the consumer price index. As of September 2025, the U.S. inflation rate stands at 3.0 percent over the past 12 months, according to the consumer price index. In California, particularly in the Los Angeles area, inflation was reported at 3.3 percent from August 2024 to August 2025, slightly above the national average. Meanwhile, the inflation rate in Miami, Florida, a Republican stronghold, was 2.5 percent during the same period.

In the southern United States, inflation has been reported at 2.5 percent for the year ending in August. Conversely, the primarily Democratic Northeast experienced an inflation rate of 3.3 percent over the same timeframe. The discussion also ventured into tariff policies, with Welker questioning Bessent about recent changes. “Since your last appearance, the administration announced a rollback of tariffs on over 200 food products. You’ve stated that tariffs benefit consumers. If that’s the case, why is the administration reducing them?” Welker asked. Bessent responded, “If you examine the data, inflation on imported goods has actually remained steady.”

‘Inflation is up because of the service economy and services. So that has nothing to do with tariffs. And many of the food items where the inflation is coming down, the USTR has been working very hard on trade deals,’ the Treasury Secretary continued. ‘The trade deals that have been in the works for six or eight months coincide with many Latin America, Central American countries, where the foodstuffs you just named come from,’ Bessent added. Bessent has been one of the most visible members of Trump’s administration during the second term, known for his unique sense of humor.

Earlier this summer, he got into a heated altercation with former ‘First Buddy’ Elon Musk in the Oval office. During a hearing on his department’s budget before the Ways and Means Committee, Bessent was grilled about whether he really tackled Elon Musk in the White House in May. ‘Mr. Secretary, how are you doing?’ Representative Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.) asked Bessent in the hearing. ‘So far, so good,’ Bessent quipped back. ‘Okay. I was just curious because I know Elon Musk body checked you at the White House. No animosity to Elon Musk, right?’ Gomez continued. ‘You know that?’ Bessent asked about the sparring event. ‘That’s what I heard,’ Gomez responded.

Bessent had been partaking in three days of trade negotiations in London and had not yet been questioned about the story before the hearing. Bessent also noted in that hearing that he would ‘take South Carolina over South Africa any day’, Bessent replied, referring to his home state versus Musk’s nation of birth. Musk was spotted with a black eye as he delivered a sort of farewell address in the Oval Office upon departing from his role as a ‘special government employee’ heading up Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency DOGE).

At the time, Musk claimed that the black eye was the result of roughhousing with his young son, X ÿ A-12, who is more commonly know as X. But speculation grew as more was revealed about his tense standoff with Bessent. Former Chief Strategist Steve Bannon told Daily Mail in May that Musk’s turbulent time in the White House was marred when he was confronted over wild promises to save the administration ‘a trillion dollars’. That’s when an irate Musk physically ‘shoved’ 62-year-old Bessent. ‘Scott Bessent called him out and said, ‘You promised us a trillion dollars (in cuts), and now you’re at like $100 billion, and nobody can find anything, what are you doing?” Bannon revealed.