Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Bessent Text Leak: Message Suggests Argentina Bailout Is Backfiring
Forbes ^ | September 29, 2025 | Antonio Pequeño IV,

Posted on 09/30/2025 8:48:09 AM PDT by Miami Rebel

The photo of Bessent’s phone taken by the Associated Press during a United Nations session last week appears to show texts from Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, who said, “We bailed out Argentina yesterday (Bessent) and in return, the Argentine's removed their export tariffs on grains, reducing their price, and sold a bunch of soybeans to China, at a time when we would normally be selling to China.”

The messages referenced the $20 billion aid package by the Trump administration designed to help Argentina and its president, Javier Milei, a Trump ally.

After the announcement of the aid, Argentina turned around and sold soybeans to China — while American farmers who have traditionally relied on Beijing to buy soybeans have been frozen out of their largest export market since Trump enacted higher tariffs on China, which launched its own retaliatory tariffs impacting soybean trade with the U.S.

The texts continued, saying, “This gives China more leverage on us” and sending a link to the X account of Ben Scholl, a specialty grain trader who chimed in on China’s purchase of Argentinian soybeans after the latter country removed grain export taxes.

Scholl said in a tweet last week “China and Argentina work together for soybeans as Bessent offers to subsidize the Argentine economy. They think you are stupid.”

Forbes has reached out to Bessent and Rollins’ offices for comment.

(Excerpt) Read more at forbes.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy
KEYWORDS: argentina; bessent
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-37 next last
As a side matter, be aware that Bessent has friends in the hedge fund community, including his former colleague, Rob Citrone of Discovery Capital Management, who were underwater in their Argentina bond investments. The $20 billion backstop came at just the right time to save their asses.
1 posted on 09/30/2025 8:48:09 AM PDT by Miami Rebel
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: Miami Rebel
The photo of Bessent’s phone taken by the Associated Press during a United Nations session last week

There has got to be some kind of journalistic ethics violation here. (j/k... journalists have no ethics).

-PJ

2 posted on 09/30/2025 8:50:09 AM PDT by Political Junkie Too ( * LAAP = Left-wing Activist Agitprop Press (formerly known as the MSM))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Miami Rebel

The $20 billion backstop came at just the right time to save their asses.


That is really annoying to hear, as I really like Bessent. I also like Milei, but I’m not happy to hear that he wants to make a move on the Falkland Islands.

Reading the news is just...so...aggravating!


3 posted on 09/30/2025 8:51:35 AM PDT by Twotone ( What's the difference between a politician & a flying pig? The letter "F.")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Miami Rebel

Government is corrupt, just differing degrees.


4 posted on 09/30/2025 8:55:18 AM PDT by 1Old Pro
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Miami Rebel

Spying on Cabinet member phones now. No matter how much you hate the media, it’s not enough.


5 posted on 09/30/2025 8:56:36 AM PDT by oldernittany
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Miami Rebel

Spying on Cabinet member phones now. No matter how much you hate the media, it’s not enough.


6 posted on 09/30/2025 8:56:40 AM PDT by oldernittany
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Political Junkie Too

Are you serious?

If AOC were trash talking Charlie Kirk on her phone texts, would you insist that journalists suppress screen shots of it?

Now that that’s out of the way, what do you think this says about the wisdom of putting US taxpayers’ capital at risk to support a foreign government?


7 posted on 09/30/2025 9:04:46 AM PDT by Miami Rebel (Yep. I'd rather trThaust That's a differnet Smithfiekd and their Chinese overlords.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: oldernittany

If Chuck Schumer dropped his index cards before delivering an attack on President Trump, would you demand that a Newsmax reporter return them without viewing them?


8 posted on 09/30/2025 9:06:31 AM PDT by Miami Rebel (Yep. I'd rather trThaust That's a differnet Smithfiekd and their Chinese overlords.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: Miami Rebel

THANK YOU!


9 posted on 09/30/2025 9:15:50 AM PDT by Segovia (https://townhall.com/columnists/kevinmccullough/2025/07/06/fossil-fooled-lives-vs-lies-n2659950)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: Twotone

They have listening devices agaibst his bedroom window too.

China provides good stuff to AP.


10 posted on 09/30/2025 9:47:18 AM PDT by If You Want It Fixed - Fix It
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: Miami Rebel; All

Milei has been preaching about reducing tariffs in Argentina for years.

I doubt this had anything to do with some bond investments.

How is anyone who lives in New York and is active in the financial community, expected to *not* have friends who are going to be impacted by national decisions, one way or another!

No matter what decision Trump and or Bissent makes, some of their friends are going to be impacted, probably both sides of the equation.


11 posted on 09/30/2025 9:49:52 AM PDT by marktwain
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Miami Rebel

“Now that that’s out of the way, what do you think this says about the wisdom of putting US taxpayers’ capital at risk to support a foreign government?”

####################

I understand your sentiment, but if we don’t help countries in need, especially those in our own hemisphere, then some other country will. And we won’t like who they partner with.

Any aid given must be modest, accountable, and tied to behavior that is favorable to the US.

It must be difficult for foreign countries getting aid from the US, in the sense that one term our President is a conservative pro-American, then the next term our President is a nitwitted globalist. As a foreign leader, how do you play that, especially when you have to face your own electorate?

That all said, it does sound like Milei needs to be summoned to the White House for a refresher course in how the world works, and who is holding the steering wheel.


12 posted on 09/30/2025 9:50:16 AM PDT by Eccl 10:2 (Prov 3:5 --- "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: Miami Rebel

We sell soybeans all over the world and use more of our soybean crop here in the u.s. than we export. Argentina NEEDS its agriculture exports for more than we do. Our soybean farmers will adjust, and even change crops as an adjustment.


13 posted on 09/30/2025 9:50:25 AM PDT by Wuli (uire)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: marktwain

The timing was beautiful though, wasn’t it?

First take the hand-out, and then in the blink of an eye give a big f-you to Uncle Sugar.


14 posted on 09/30/2025 10:00:01 AM PDT by Miami Rebel (Yep. I'd rather trThaust That's a differnet Smithfiekd and their Chinese overlords.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: Wuli

You take a very cold approach that glosses over the reality of agriculture in this country.

US farmers are already in the hole, but in order to accommodate our desperate Argentine friends, they are expected to invest in converting their fields to new crop?


15 posted on 09/30/2025 10:02:57 AM PDT by Miami Rebel (Yep. I'd rather trThaust That's a differnet Smithfiekd and their Chinese overlords.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]

To: Miami Rebel
Are you serious?

That's why I said "just kidding."

Are you separating the bailout of Argentina from the rest of foreign aid, or does all foreign aid put American taxpayer capital at risk?

What do you think about "lend-lease" that was used in WW2? Biden signed a 2022 Lend-Lease Act for Ukraine in 2022. Is aid to Argentina a form of lend-lease because a stable Argentina is good for American defense in the hemisphere?

-PJ

16 posted on 09/30/2025 10:07:52 AM PDT by Political Junkie Too ( * LAAP = Left-wing Activist Agitprop Press (formerly known as the MSM))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: Miami Rebel

$20 B is a drop in the bucket to help out a guy who is more pro-freedom than the last 75 years of Argentinian leaders.

Sometimes pragmatism is a good approach, sometimes it is a bad approach.

In this case it is a good approach.


17 posted on 09/30/2025 10:17:23 AM PDT by Recovering_Democrat
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Miami Rebel

I am not suggesting anything unusual.

Yes, U.S. farmers often change their crop choices in response to market forces, planting more of a crop if its price and profitability are expected to rise, and reducing acreage of other crops to plant more profitable alternatives.


18 posted on 09/30/2025 10:22:36 AM PDT by Wuli (uire)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 15 | View Replies]

To: Miami Rebel

And yes we are trying to help a country that is trying to make a transformation from decades of socialist economic mismanagement. I would agree with you if Argentina was another Peronista government, which it is not.


19 posted on 09/30/2025 10:24:58 AM PDT by Wuli (uire)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 15 | View Replies]

To: Miami Rebel
As a side matter, be aware that Bessent has friends in the hedge fund community, including his former colleague, Rob Citrone of Discovery Capital Management, who were underwater in their Argentina bond investments. The $20 billion backstop came at just the right time to save their asses.

Citrone's hedge fund has been one of the top performing hedge funds in 2025, (up 17% thru July)and that's before any bailout.

If Discovery holds any Argentine bonds, I suspect it's a very low percentage of their entire holdings and even a small percentage of their AMX holding.

Bissent hasn't "saved their asses".

20 posted on 09/30/2025 10:25:39 AM PDT by FreeReign
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-37 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson