Scott Bessent: “America first doesn't mean America alone.”

“Well, first, first of all, Joe, this trope that we're helping out wealthy Americans with interests down there couldn't be more false. What we're doing is maintaining a US Strategic interest in the Western hemisphere. America first doesn't mean America alone. And look, when you have a failed state in South America like Venezuela, now we are having to track down and blow up these cartel ships.” (12:50–12:54)

This is an excerpt from a raw transcript. The assertions have not been audited or verified. Tap the video to view the source footage and understand the context.