Treasury secretary Scott Bessent mocks Elizabeth Warren with Indigenous Peoples Day note

On Oct. 11, 2026, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent sent a handwritten note wishing Senator Elizabeth Warren a “Happy Indigenous Peoples Day in advance to you and your family,” concluding a scathing reply to her latest letter to the Treasury Department.

The exchange began after Warren’s Oct. 7 letter raised concerns about the cost of the Iran war and the projected deficit impact of the One Big Beautiful Bill. Bessent’s Oct. 9 response called her “economically illiterate,” said she demonstrated a “complete paucity of knowledge about financial markets,” and suggested she study introductory economics.

In the same letter, Bessent noted that Warren has sent roughly one hundred letters to his office since the start of the second Trump administration, characterizing the correspondence as a “letter‑writing crusade” that “participates in tabloid fodder about the Treasury Department.” He added that treating her concerns as sincere was difficult, especially as the federal funds rate rose to its highest level in 22 years and inflation hit a 40‑year high.

Bessent also offered a “Foreign Exchange for Dummies” tutorial and a “Fixed Income for Dummies” course, comparing his academic background at Yale to Warren’s former Harvard tenure. He highlighted recent Treasury achievements, such as an average tax refund of $3,400—an 11 percent increase from the prior year—and tax provisions that eliminated taxes on tips and overtime.

Warren’s long‑standing claim of Native American ancestry has been challenged by DNA testing, which placed her heritage at roughly 1/64 to 1/1,024. The senator previously apologized to several tribes after the test results contradicted her self‑identification.

After the letter was released, Bessent appeared on Fox & Friends, where he joked that Warren might need “smoke signals” to understand economics and mocked her “high cheekbones” comment about Indigenous traits. Co‑host Charlie Hurt laughed, describing Bessent’s handwritten note as “cheeky.”

The public feud reflects broader disagreement over fiscal policy, with Bessent defending the Trump administration’s approach while accusing Warren of supporting “reckless spending” under the Biden administration. No response from Warren’s office was available at the time of publication.