Treasury secretary plans focus on economic growth, debt issues
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will host meetings of the Group of 20 finance ministers in Asheville, North Carolina, on Monday and Tuesday, aiming to rally the world’s largest economies at a moment when the United States has imposed new tariffs on major allies and renewed hostilities with Iran.
According to AP, Bessent intends to put the focus on a range of issues intended to draw uncontroversial support, from economic growth to addressing mounting debt.
The meetings come shortly after hostilities renewed between the United States and Iran, and as trade friction with Canada spiked following a breakdown in negotiations that led to escalating tariffs.
Daniel Fried, a former assistant secretary of state for European affairs in the George W. Bush administration, said the United States may “find it difficult to rally its usual friends and allies” under the circumstances.