Scott Bessent kicks off Milken bash by doubling down on Trump agenda

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent kicked off Michael Milken's annual financial bash in Beverly Hills by doubling down on President Trump's economic policy of trade reform, tax cuts and deregulation -- promising the "America First" agenda would be "the blueprint for a more abundant world." The former hedge fund manager, in a brief speech Monday that opened the Milken Institute Global Conference, said that all three elements of the policy must be taken together in order to be understood. "They are interlocking parts of an engine designed to drive long-term investment in the American economy," he said, in remarks at the Beverly Hilton. "Tariffs are engineered to encourage companies like yours to invest directly in the United States. Hire your workers here, build your factories here, make your products here. You'll be glad you did, not only because we have the most productive work force in the world, but because we will soon have the most favorable tax and regulatory environment as well," he said.