Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confronted ABC anchor George Stephanopoulos during Sunday’s interview over comments made during the 1995 federal government shutdown. Bessent cited a PBS interview in which Stephanopoulos said Democrats described Republicans as “terrorists” for refusing to raise the debt ceiling and keeping the government closed.
The exchange erupted on This Week, where Stephanopoulos asked about the current shutdown and prospects for ending it. Bessent countered by saying: “You were involved in a lot of these in the ’90s… you basically called the Republicans terrorists… what we need is five moderate Democratic senators to cross the aisle and reopen the government.”
Stephanopoulos pushed back, stating the comparison to the past was a “mischaracterization of history.” The conversation grew tense as both men talked over one another. When Bessent offered to provide quotes from Stephanopoulos’s own words, Stephanopoulos responded, “I can disagree with you about the history there, but we don’t have a history lesson right now.”
The moment highlights how the current government shutdown—now the longest in U.S. history—has reignited debates about partisan responsibility and rhetorical escalation. For conservative audiences, Bessent’s confrontation underscores perceived media bias and past rhetoric being used as a cudgel against Republicans now under pressure.
Stephanopoulos served as a senior advisor to President Bill Clinton during those 1995‑96 shutdowns, a time when Democrats controlled the White House and Republicans held Congress. The comments in question stemmed from remarks made by Democrats who framed the shutdown strategy as forcing Republicans into “blackmailing the country” for tax‑cuts and spending reductions.
