Bulwark Takes – Episode Summary

Episode Title: Scott Bessent Loses It After Getting Heckled at a Wine Bar
Podcast: Bulwark Takes
Air Date: December 18, 2025
Host: Tim Miller
Featured Discussion: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s real-life reaction to public heckling over economic policies, with a broader exploration of public shaming, accountability, and the limits of protest.

Episode Overview

In this episode, Tim Miller (Bulwark) dives into a viral incident involving U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent at a D.C. wine bar, as witnessed by content creator Lucas Tim. The discussion centers on the merits and ethics of publicly shaming government officials whose actions have significant humanitarian consequences. Miller strongly defends the concept of public shaming of powerful figures, especially when their policies inflict widespread suffering, and shares both the details of the bar confrontation and his own take on holding public servants accountable.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Setting the Scene: Scott Bessent at a Wine Bar

• Lucas Tim, a Bulwark content creator, witnessed Scott Bessent, Treasury Secretary, dining at a wine bar in Washington, D.C.
• Bessent, described as “smarmy and condescending,” is criticized for his role in U.S. economic policy, specifically sanctions and cuts in international aid, which critics say cause significant global harm.
• A fellow patron publicly heckled Bessent, calling out the humanitarian consequences of his policies.

Memorable Moment: The heckling, described and replayed for listeners, was direct:

• “Let’s give it up for the man who is eating in peace as people starve across the world based on his sanctions, which are economic warfare.” (02:21 – F, patron)

2. Heckler's Accusations and the Social Stigma Debate

• The heckler accused Bessent of being responsible for 600,000 deaths annually due to sanctions:

  “He oversees the death of 600,000 people due to sanctions annually… The blood is on your hands. You should be ashamed.” (02:43 – F; 03:12 – D)

• Miller makes a distinction between ordinary citizens and those wielding power:

  “I’m not saying that we should stigmatize…accountant or truck driver from Ohio who voted for Trump. They don’t need shame and social stigma… But Scott Besant is the Treasury Secretary... he is extremely smarmy and unappealing and condescending and gross when he's talking about the pain that he's causing people through the policies they've put forth.” (04:08 – C)

• Miller emphasizes the value of social stigma as a tool for holding power to account:

  “The only thing we have in this world is social stigma and shame, okay?” (03:22 – C)

3. Ethics and Limits of Public Protest

• Miller passionately endorses direct, vocal protest in public settings against powerful officials:

  “There’s no human right to be able to sit at a wine bar and eat crudité and stinky cheeses without people telling you that you suck. Sorry, it’s not in the First Amendment… It is people exercising their free speech rights to tell people in power that what they are doing is harming others and it’s bad and we are upset about it.” (04:27 – C)

• He adds nuance, drawing a line at violence or harassment in private spaces but defending public protest:

  “I don't support violence. Don't follow people into private areas... No spitballs. None of that. Reminding them that their policies are terrible. Shouting at them, making life unpleasant for them at a wine bar. That's a yes for me.” (10:04 – C)

4. Notable Reports from the Incident

• Miller relays Lucas Tim’s follow-up account:

  “Besant was so upset and whining. He said he watched as he tried to get the shouters kicked out, but when the waiter refused, he stood up and spit in his own food to be dramatic. And then he walked off like a real housewife at a reunion… Scott said, if you're gonna allow people to remind me that I'm responsible for deaths of tens of thousands of people in the Global South, then I will spit on this food that you made me and I will storm back off to my penthouse.” (08:56 – C quoting Lucas Tim)

5. Internal Dissent at The Bulwark & Self-Reflection

• Miller notes not everyone at The Bulwark agrees with his stance and hints at internal debates:

  “There is some disagreement among the Bulwark… There was somebody… who said that they can’t believe that I’m for this. Like, have you met me? Shame. Give me the shame bell. Shame. Shame. Shame on you, Scott Besant. Your policies are terrible, and you’re a prick. You’re hurting people.” (07:47 – C)

• He muses that, if Bessent felt confident in his integrity, public jeers wouldn’t bother him:

  “If you’re feeling like you’re acting in your own integrity, then it shouldn’t bother you if other people tell you that they think you suck, because you’re doing the best you can. I don’t think Scott thinks that he’s acting in his own integrity.” (07:35 – C)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Heckler (Patron, F):

  “Let’s give it up for the man who is eating in peace as people starve across the world based on his sanctions, which are economic warfare.” (02:21)
  “He oversees the death of 600,000 people due to sanctions annually.” (02:43)
  “How many people are going to die because the blood is on your hands?” (03:01)

• Tim Miller:

  “The only thing we have in this world is social stigma and shame, okay?” (03:22)
  “There’s no human right to be able to sit at a wine bar and eat crudité and stinky cheeses without people telling you that you suck.” (04:27)
  “Don’t follow them into the bathroom…No violence. No threats… But shouting at them, making life unpleasant for them at a wine bar. That’s a yes for me.” (10:04)
  “Sucks to suck, I think, is what people say.” (09:37)

• Incident Report via Lucas Tim:

  “He stood up and spit in his own food to be dramatic. And then he walked off like a real housewife at a reunion.” (08:56)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [01:30] – Tim Miller sets up the viral Bessent confrontation
• [02:21] – Audio from the actual heckling inside the wine bar
• [03:22] – Miller’s defense of social stigma in democracy
• [07:19] – Concluding reflections, internal Bulwark disagreements, and the ethics of protest
• [08:56] – Lucas Tim describes Bessent’s “spit-and-storm” reaction
• [10:04] – Final thoughts on limits of protest and public accountability

Tone and Takeaways

• The tone is irreverent, direct, and acerbic, matching The Bulwark’s signature blend of political critique and humor.
• Miller makes a fierce, almost gleeful case for shaming those in power who “cause human suffering,” especially when those officials show apparent disregard for the consequences of their policies.
• The episode stands as a defense of protest in public spaces, an acknowledgment of the pressure and emotions surrounding policy decisions, and a meta-conversation about responsible dissent and accountability within a divided political landscape.

Summary for New Listeners:
If you didn’t witness the social media buzz, this episode walks you through a real, awkward confrontation between a powerful government official and an angry public, explores why some believe public heckling is vital democratic feedback, and invites listeners to consider both the moral responsibilities of public servants and the limits of protest in civil society.