US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has said he was the target of an assassination attempt by a "left-wing activist" only two hours after being sworn into office, using the disclosure to argue that violent political extremism from the left poses a real and growing threat. He made the claim on Thursday at an international counterterrorism summit, framing the incident as justification for the Trump administration's expanded efforts against far-left extremist groups.

Bessent did not provide further specifics about the alleged plot in the reported remarks, but tied it directly to the timing of his swearing-in as evidence of the immediacy of the danger. The disclosure comes amid a wider pattern of rhetoric from Trump administration officials highlighting alleged threats and violence linked to left-wing activism, set against a backdrop of heightened political tensions in Washington.